democracy

en-noun

democracy (countable and uncountable, plural democracies)

→ Amharic: ዴሞክራሲ (demokrasi)

→ Burmese: ဒီမိုကရေစီ (dimuika.reci)

desc

→ Chinese: 得莫克拉西 (démòkèlāxī), 德謨克拉西 /德谟克拉西 (démókèlāxī)

→ Malay: demokrasi

ဒံၣ်မိၣ်ခြ့ၣ်စံၣ်

→ S'gaw Karen: ဒံၣ်မိၣ်ခြ့ၣ်စံၣ် (deè moh̀ khraỳ seè)

→ Swahili: demokrasia

ꤘꤟꤤ꤬ꤗꤥ꤬ꤊꤚꤢꤩ꤬ꤎꤤ꤬

→ Western Kayah: ꤘꤟꤤ꤬ꤗꤥ꤬ꤊꤚꤢꤩ꤬ꤎꤤ꤬ (dì̤mòkrèsì)

From Middle French democratie (French démocratie), from Medieval Latin dēmocratia, from Ancient Greek δημοκρᾰτῐ́ᾱ (dēmokrătĭ́ā).
By surface analysis, demo- (“people”) + -cracy (“rule”).

surf

And the essential value and power of Democracy consists in this,—that it combines, as far as possible, power and organization ; THE SPIRIT, MANHOOD, is at one with THE BODY, ORGANIZATION. [....] Democracy is Government by the People.

1866, J. Arthur Partridge, On Democracy, Trübner & Co., page 2:

The period, that is, which marks the transition from absolutism or aristocracy to democracy will mark also the transition from absolutist or autocratic methods of nomination to democratic methods.

1901, The American Historical Review, American Historical Association, page 260:

A century ago there was in the Old World only one tiny spot in which the working of democracy could be studied. A few of the ancient rural cantons of Switzerland had recovered their freedom after the fall of Napoleon, and were governing themselves as they had done from the earlier Middle Ages[...]. Nowhere else in Europe did the people rule.

1921, James Bryce Bryce, Modern Democracies, The Macmillan Company, page 1:

Everyone who wanted to speak did so. It was democracy in its purest form.

1994, Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela, London: Abacus, published 2010, page 24:

On this day in 1977, Taiwan witnessed a watershed moment in its march to democracy: the Chungli Incident. Violence broke out on the night of the largest-yet elections in the country’s history. Some 10,000 people took to the streets in protest following reports of election fraud on the part of the ruling Kuomintang.

2017 November 19, “Today in History”, in Radio Taiwan International, archived from the original on 2022-09-10:

“If you have rule of the bureaucrat — if the bureaucracy is in charge, then what meaning does democracy actually have?” Musk said during his 30-minute appearance with Trump, where he rebuffed critics who said he’s the one undermining democratic institutions.

2025 February 14, Marshall Cohen, “The almighty Musk: How the world’s richest man became Washington’s most powerful bureaucrat”, in CNN:

representative democracy
representative democracy

(uncountable) Rule by the people, especially as a form of government; either directly or through elected representatives (representative democracy).


election

en-noun

election (countable and uncountable, plural elections)

From Middle English eleccioun, eleccion, from Anglo-Norman eleccioun, from Latin ēlectiōn-, stem of ēlectiō (“choice, selection”), from ēligō (“I pluck out, I choose”). Equivalent to elect + -ion.

verkiesing

process of choosing a new leader or representatives by popular vote

The parliamentary election(s) will be held in March.

How did you vote in (UK also: at) the last election?

That brief moment after the election four years ago, when many Americans thought Mr. Obama’s election would presage a new, less fractious political era, now seems very much a thing of the past.

2012 November 7, Matt Bai, “Winning a Second Term, Obama Will Confront Familiar Headwinds”, in New York Times:

A process of choosing a leader, members of parliament, councillors, or other representatives by popular vote.

The election of John Smith was due to his broad appeal.

The choice of a leader or representative by popular vote.

W-4 election

Whosoever searcheth all the circumstances and embraceth all the consequences thereof hindereth his election.

1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 20, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book II, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC:

To use men with much difference and election is good.

1625, Francis [Bacon], “Of Followers and Friends”, in The Essayes […], 3rd edition, London: […] Iohn Haviland for Hanna Barret, →OCLC:

The predestinative force of a free agent's own will in certain absolute acts, determinations, or elections, and in respect of which acts it is one either with the divine or the devilish will; and if the former, the conclusions to be drawn from God's goodness, faithfulness, and spiritual presence; these supply grounds of argument of a very different character […]

1830, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Notes on The Pilgrim's Progress:

[H]e [Paul] laboureth to comfort Timothy vvith the remembrance of the ſtedfaſtneſs of Gods eternal decree of Election, becauſe grounded on his foreknowledge; […]

1684, John Bunyan, A Holy Life, the Beauty of Christianity: Or, An Exhortation to Christians to be Holy, London: […] B. W. for Benj[amin] Alsop, […], →OCLC, page 3:

(theology) In Calvinism, God's predestination of saints including all of the elect.

The election hath obtained it.

1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Romans 11:7:


vote

desctree

→ French: vote
Haitian Creole: vòt
→ Romanian: vot

→ Welsh: fôt

From Latin vōtum, a form of voveō (“I vow”) (cognate with Ancient Greek εὔχομαι (eúkhomai, “to vow”)), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁wegʷʰ- (“to promise, to vow”). Doublet of vow.

der

The city council decided the matter should go to public vote.

Parliament will hold a vote of confidence regarding the minister.

One occasion indicative votes were used was in 2003 when MPs were presented with seven different options on how to reform the House of Lords.

A formalized choice on legally relevant measures such as employment or appointment to office or a proceeding about a legal dispute.


MP

en-noun

MP (countable and uncountable, plural MPs)

MPs (plural)
M. P. (alternative)
M.P. (alternative)

One unidentified man spoke of how he was approached to "go to the Gents" with an MP at an event for young political activists while another man described how an MP invited his entire office staff to a gay bar.

2014 April 11, Charlotte Meredith, “The Palace of Sexminster”, in Huffington Post: United Kingdom:

In particular, this all-party group of MPs has been scathing about the decision-making process, which has resulted in the Department of Transport having no ideas as to how "HS2 will operate as a functioning railway following recent changes".

2024 February 21, Christian Wolmar, “A 'tsar' needs to get to grips with High Speed 2... quickly”, in RAIL, number 1003, page 52:

Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament#English

(politics) Initialism of Member of Parliament.

(military) Initialism of machine pistol.


MP

Mandatory Palestine
Mandatory Palestine#English


democrat

→ Welsh: democrat

From French démocrate, from démocratie (modelled on aristocrate (“aristocrat”)), equivalent to demo- + -crat.

The democrats now have majority control in almost all areas except the Islands District Council, where they won seven seats, and the pro-Beijing camp obtained 11 seats.

2019 November 25, Kris Cheng, “Hong Kong District Council election: Democrats take control of 17 out of 18 councils in landslide victory”, in Hong Kong Free Press, archived from the original on 2020-07-31:

A supporter of democracy; an advocate of democratic politics (originally (historical) as opposed to the aristocrats in Revolutionary France).

Democrats have to please a large segment of the voting public and will be punished if they fail to provide public goods […] . In the case of autocrats, however, they have to please a small minority of the governing power elite […] who will punish them if they fail to dedicate the public purse to their private enrichment.

2011, Wesley Yang, "Death, Dictators, and Democracy", NYU Alumni Magazine, ISSN 1938-4823, issue 16, Spring 2011, page 10

Someone who rules a representative democracy.


landslide

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-landslide.wav

Near-synonym: mudflow

The landslides Wednesday in Zhejiang province, south of the financial hub of Shanghai, followed Typhoon Megi, which brought heavy rains and high winds to China and Taiwan this past week.[…]
The second landslide in Wencheng county killed five people, with one person still missing, an official at the county’s flood control office said Saturday.

2016 September 30, “13 dead, 20 still missing in China after typhoon landslides”, in AP News, sourced from Beijing (AP), archived from the original on 2024-09-25:

en:natural disaster involving falling soil or rock

A natural disaster that involves the breakup and downhill flow of rock, mud, water and anything caught in the path.

The candidate won at 61% to 39%, which most people are calling a landslide.

A vote won by a wide or overwhelming majority.


poll

polls (plural)
pol (alternative)
pole (alternative)

From Middle English pol, polle ("scalp, pate"), from or cognate with Middle Dutch pol, pōle, polle (“top, summit; head”), from Proto-West Germanic *poll, from Proto-Germanic *pullaz (“round object, head, top”), from Proto-Indo-European *bolno-, *bōwl- (“orb, round object, bubble”), from Proto-Indo-European *bew- (“to blow, swell”).
Akin to Scots pow (“head, crown, scalp, skull”), Saterland Frisian pol (“round, full, brimming”, adjective), German Low German Polle, Poll (“round object, ball”), German Low German Poller (“head, tree-top, bulb”), Danish puld (“crown of a hat”), Swedish dialectal pull (“head”).
Meaning "collection of votes" is first recorded 1625, from the notion of "counting heads".

cog

The polls close at 8 p.m.

A polling place (usually as plural, polling places)


democratic

en-adj

democratic (comparative more democratic, superlative most democratic)

more democratic (comparative)
most democratic (superlative)
Democratic (alternative)
democratick (alternative)

/ˌdɛməˈkɹætɪk/

/ˌdɛməˈkɹætɪk/

From Middle French democratique (“pertaining to democracy, democratic”) (modern French démocratique), and its etymon Late Latin democraticus (“pertaining to democracy, democratic; democrat”), from Ancient Greek δημοκρᾰτῐκός (dēmokrătĭkós, “of or for democracy; favouring or suited for democracy”), from δημοκρᾰτῐ́ᾱ (dēmokrătĭ́ā, “democracy”) + -ῐκός (-ĭkós, suffix with the sense ‘of or pertaining’ to forming adjectives). Δημοκρᾰτῐ́ᾱ (Dēmokrătĭ́ā) is derived from δῆμος (dêmos, “the common people; free citizens, sovereign people; popular assembly; popular government, democracy”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *deh₂- (“to divide; to share”)) + -κρᾰτῐ́ᾱ (-krătĭ́ā, suffix meaning ‘government; rule’) (from κρᾰ́τος (krắtos, “might, strength; dominion, power”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kret- (“insight, intelligence; strength”)) + -ῐ́ᾱ (-ĭ́ā, suffix forming feminine abstract nouns)). By surface analysis, demo- + -cratic or democrat + -ic.

der

δημοκρᾰτῐκός

The United States is a democratic country, as the citizens are allowed to choose leaders to represent their interests.

[S]ome firie ſpirited men in the Miniſterie, got ſuch a guiding of the people at that time of confuſion, as finding the guſte of gouernment ſweete, they begouth to fantaſie to themſelues, a Democratick forme of gouernment: […] and after vſurping the libertie of the time in my long minoritie, ſetled themſelues ſo faſt vpon that imagined Democracie, as they fed themſelues with the hope to become Trbuni plebis: and ſo in a populare gouernment by leading the people by the noſe, to beare the ſway of all the rule.

1599, [James IV of Scotland (later also James I of England)], “Of a Kings Dvtie in His Office. The Second Booke.”, in ΒΑΣΙΛΙΚΟΝ ΔΩΡΟΝ [BASILIKON DŌRON]. Or His Maiesties Instrvctions to His Dearest Sonne, Henry the Prince, London: […] Felix Kyngston, for Iohn Norton, […], published 1603, →OCLC, pages 39–40:

[W]hich government in its due conſtitution no Chriſtian or reformed Church, (not wholly under a democratick or popular ſpirit) yea no one eminent reformed Divine but did highly approve and deſire the happineſs to enjoy, as hath been made evident by their writings.

1658, John Gauden, Funerals Made Cordials: In a Sermon Prepared and (in Part) Preached at the Solemn Interment of the Corps of the Right Honorable Robert Rich, Heire Apparent to the Earldom of Warwick. […], London: […] T. C. for Andrew Crook, […], →OCLC, page 82:

Others avouch plainly the Democratick Principles, That Government riſes from the People's Conſent, and is radically founded in them; […]

1668, Abraham Philotheus [pseudonym], Anarchie Reviving, or, The Good Old Cause on the Anvile. […], London: [s.n.], →OCLC, page 2:

There, fann’d by me, lewd Faction’s quick’ning flame / Inſpires my duteous Children to defame / Thoſe Laws of Freedom which ſo long have ſtood, / Fix’d in the cement of Britannia’s blood. / There, my ſubverting Delegates diſplay / The madding pride of Democratic ſway.

1777 (erroneously indicated as 1677), [William Combe], “Additions to the Diaboliad, a Poem”, in The Diaboliad, a Poem Dedicated to the Worst Man in His Majesty’s Dominions, 2nd edition, London: […] G. Kearsly, […], →OCLC, page 13:

The other point of difference is, the greater number of citizens and extent of territory which may be brought within the compaſs of republican, than of democratic government; and it is this circumſtance principally which renders factious combinations leſs to be dreaded in the former, than in the latter.

1788, Publius [pseudonym; James Madison], “Number X. The Same Subject Continued [The Utility of the Union as a Safeguard against Domestic Faction and Insurrection].”, in The Federalist: A Collection of Essays, Written in Favour of the New Constitution, […] , volume I, New York, N.Y.: […] J. and A. M‘Lean, […], →OCLC, page 60:

The democratick commonwealth is the foodfull nurſe of ambition. […] Whenever, in ſtates which have had a democratick baſis, they have endeavoured to put reſtraints upon ambition, their methods were as violent, as in the end they were ineffectual; as violent indeed as any the moſt jealous deſpotiſm could invent.

1791 August 3, [Edmund Burke], An Appeal from the New to the Old Whigs, […], London: […] J[ames] Dodsley, […], →OCLC, page 120:

The division of the legislature into two branches and their diverse origin, the long duration of office in one branch, the distinct power of the executive, the independence and permanency of the judiciary are designed to balance and check the democratick tendencies of our polity.

1809, [John Thornton Kirkland], “Notices of the Life and Character of Fisher Ames”, in Fisher Ames, Works of Fisher Ames. […], Boston, Mass.: T. B. Wait & Co. […], →OCLC, page xxiv:

Q. Who liberated Athens from the power of Sparta? / A. Thrasy[b]ulus, having expelled the usurpers, established the democratic government, B.C. 401.

1817–1820, [William Pinnock], “Of Bœotia and Attica”, in A Catechism of Universal History, Containing a Summary Account of the Various States, &c. &c. which Have Existed from the Earliest Ages to the Present Time (Pinnock’s Catechism), 6th edition, London: […] [F]or Pinnock and Maunder, Mentorian Press, […]; by C. Green, […], →OCLC, page 44:

In the United States, the federal and democratick parties divided the country till the termination of the last war.

1835, Lyman Cobb, “Lesson CCXVIII. Political Definitions.”, in The North American Reader; […], New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, […], →OCLC, paragraph 10, page 473:

In the conception of the Clinton administration and pro-democracy advocates, democracy and human rights are inextricably linked and mutually reinforcing. Human rights, defined in terms of the individual's political rights and civil liberties, are key ingredients of democracy. Without these rights, the integrity of participation and competition—vital aspects of the democratic system—cannot be guaranteed. The protection of human rights "is the best safeguard against the abuse of national power," it is argued, and only democratic government can guarantee their protection.

1994 October, Muthiah Alagappa, “Summary”, in Anne Stewart, editor, Democratic Transition in Asia: The Role of the International Community (East–West Center Special Reports; no. 3), Honolulu, Hi.: East–West Center, →OCLC, page 5:

The tradition that public policy would be democratic in its formulation was carried into the new democracy when the ANC [African National Congress] came to power in 1994.

2001, Gregory Houston, Ian Liebenberg, “Introduction”, in Gregory Houston, editor, Public Participation in Democratic Governance in South Africa, Pretoria, Gauteng: Human Sciences Research Council, →ISBN, page 9:

Beyond and in dialogue with the political and the economic, this active engagement and creative expression of the people constitutes authentic democratic process.

2005, “Introduction”, in Antonio F. Perez, Sémou Pathé Gueye, Fenggang Yang, editors, Civil Society as Democratic Practice (Cultural Heritage and Contemporary Change Series VII, Seminar, Culture and Values; 22), Washington, D.C.: Council for Research in Values and Philosophy, →ISBN, page 2:

Shepard: You have the right to your opinion, Mr. Saracino. But with all due respect, I disagree with it.
Charles Saracino: I understand. I'm glad you support the democratic process, at least.

2008, BioWare, Mass Effect (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: Citadel:

Both [Ze’ev] Jabotinsky and [David] Ben-Gurion also wrote songs of praise to the Ottoman Empire, its tolerance toward ethnic minorities in general—and to Jews in particular—as well as to the democratic changes it was undergoing.

2019 July 21, Meron Rapoport, “When Zionism Imagined Jewish Nationalism without Supremacy”, in +972 Magazine, Tel Aviv, Israel: 972 – Advancement of Citizen Journalism, archived from the original on 2021-08-10:

In recent weeks, Buffett had repeatedly expressed concerns over the future of Taiwan, the self-governed democratic island where TSMC is based.

2023 May 16, Michelle Toh, “Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway sells entire stake in TSMC”, in CNN Business:

Pertaining to democracy; constructed upon or in line with the principle of government chosen by the people.


democratic

democratics (plural)
democratick (alternative)

/ˌdɛməˈkɹætɪk/

/ˌdɛməˈkɹætɪk/

δημοκρᾰτῐκός

This kingly government (as some call it) is a thing that our democraticks cannot brook: we are an undone people if we do not down with that.

1692, Gershom Bulkeley, “Will and Doom, or The Miseries of Connecticut by and under an Usurped and Arbitrary Power. […]”, in Collections of the Connecticut Historical Society, volume III, Hartford, Conn.: […] [Connecticut Historical] Society, published 1895, →OCLC, page 195:

[…] [Thomas] Fairfax was made general of all the forces both in England and Ireland; and Rainsbrough [i.e., Thomas Rainsborough], a leveller, and a violent head of the democraticks, high-admiral.

1760, Delahay Gordon, “The Life and Death of King Charles the First”, in A General History of the Lives, Trials, and Executions of All the Royal and Noble Personages, that have Suffered in Great-Britain and Ireland for High Treason, or Other Crimes, from the Accession of Henry VIII. to the Throne of England, down to the Present Time; […], volume III, London: […] J. Burd, […], page 440:

Several circumſtances have concurred to confirm the belief that this wretched lunatick was the identical Marquis de Brunoy, who had been buried in the gloom of a priſon for nine years, whilſt the world thought him dead. The mad democraticks began to ſpread reports that the Count de Provence was privy to this tranſaction; and that it was this Prince who had obtained the Lettre de Cachet, by virtue of which this wretched man had been ſo long deprived of the light of heaven.

1789 October 10, “Paris”, in I[ohann] W[ilhelm] von Archenholz, editor, The British Mercury, or Annals of History, Politics, Manners, Literature, Arts, etc. of the British Empire, volume XI, number 41, Hamburg: […] B. C. Hoffman, →OCLC, page 39:

For that equality among the multitude which democratics explore, is not only just among those of a similar rank but is advantageous.

1811, Aristotle, “The Politics. Book V. Chapter VIII.”, in Thomas Taylor, transl., The Great, and Eudemian, Ethics, the Politics, and Economics, of Aristotle. […], London: […] Robert Wilks, […], →OCLC, page 412:

He [Lysander] now destroyed the democratics and popular constitutions in all the Greek cities which had been subject to Athens, placing a Lacedæmonian in each as harmost or governor, with a council of ten archons under him, composed of men selected from the political clubs which he had established.

1881, Plutarch, “Life of Lysander”, in Aubrey Stewart, George Long, transl., Plutarch’s Lives. […], volume II, London: George Bell and Sons, […], →OCLC, page 296:

democrat

(chiefly in the plural, dated) Synonym of democrat (“a supporter of democracy; an advocate of democratic politics (originally (historical) as opposed to the aristocrats in Revolutionary France)”).


grassroots democracy

The political processes which are driven by groups of ordinary citizens, as opposed to larger organizations or wealthy individuals with concentrated vested interests in particular policies.


psephology

From psepho- (“pebble”) + -ology (“study of”), drawing on the various definitions of Ancient Greek ψῆφος (psêphos, “pebble used for reckoning; pebble used for casting a vote”). The sense relating to elections was coined in 1948 by Frank Hardie.

der

Let us first see how the matter of this letter-numbering or psephology stands generally. The authors think that both the Greek and Hebrew method derive from a common source. But there is no proof of this; indeed the weak point in the whole of this exposition is that they entirely neglect the historical side of the matter and give no references.

1917, The Quest – Volume 8, Part 2, page 698:

The numbers 99, 88, and 22 seem to belong to some system of mystic psephology, Or gematria as the Kabbalists afterwards called it.

1924, George Robert Stow Mead, Gnostic John the Baptizer: Selections from the Mandæan John-Book, Together with Studies on John and Christian Origins, the Slavonic Josephus' Account of John and Jesus and the Fourth Gospel Proem, →ISBN:

What I want to point out here is that there is a considerable breadth of numerological practices, ranging from psephology/gematria through to practices close to mathematical physics which are deemed to be too much driven by mathematical or aesthetic considerations.

2013, Andrew Gregory, The Presocratics and the Supernatural, →ISBN:

An ancient Greek method of numerology, similar to gematria.


voting booth

(US) A small enclosed compartment where a voter may register a vote in private; it may house some voting machine, or just have a pencil for marking a voting slip.

投票站

small compartment where a voter may register a vote


voting slip

a piece of paper with a list of the candidates at an election (sometimes with an indication of the candidate's party); the voter puts an X in the corresponding place against the candidate of his choice, folds the slip and places it in a ballot box provided.


ballot box

A sealed box with a slit, into which a voter puts a completed voting slip.

քվեատուփ

a sealed box into which a voter puts a voting slip


voting station

(US) A public place, normally used for some other function, that has been authorized for the registering of votes in an election; it will contain voting booths and officials with an up-to-date electoral register or similar list of voters; a polling station


hung parliament

en-noun

hung parliament (plural hung parliaments)

From the fact that the work of such a parliament is often suspended because no majority of the Members of Parliament can be obtained to enact legislation or to pass resolutions.

The likelihood of a hung parliament—that is, a parliament in which no single party enjoys an overall majority—is far greater today than it was, for example, in the 1950s. This is primarily because there are now more MPs from the minority parties.

1995, Vernon Bogdanor, “Hung Parliaments and Proportional Representation”, in The Monarchy and the Constitution, Oxford: Clarendon Press, →ISBN, page 145:

[I]f proportional representation were to be adopted for UK elections, the position could become even more complicated. In the event of a hung Parliament, which could be a regular occurrence under such a voting system, the monarch would have to nominate both the governing party and the prime minister and could face accusations of partisanship.

1998 September, Tim Hames, Mark Leonard, “The Core Problem for the British Monarchy”, in Modernising the Monarchy (Arguments; 21), London: Demos, →ISBN, page 16:

For Australia and the United Kingdom, hung parliaments, and the long transition period that accompany their formation, have been rare in the post-World War II period. […] Canada too began a cycle of hung parliaments from 2004, and this added complexity to what was traditionally a long transition period from election day to the first sitting of the new parliament[…].

2015, Jennifer Menzies, Anne Tiernan, “Caretaker Conventions”, in Brian Galligan, Scott Brenton, editors, Constitutional Conventions in Westminster Systems: Controversies, Changes and Challenges, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 101:

We are heading for a hung parliament. The UK's first-past-the-post electoral system means balanced parliaments rarely happen in Britain, but it was the case following the 1974 election and most recently in 2010. In the case of a hung parliament, the leader of the party with the most seats is given the opportunity to try to form a government. This can take two forms: one option is a formal coalition with other parties, in which the coalition partners share ministerial jobs and push through a shared agenda. The other possibility is a more informal arrangement, known as "confidence and supply", in which the smaller parties agree to support the main legislation, such as a budget and Queen's speech put forward by the largest party, but do not formally take part in government.

2017 June 9, Rajeev Syal, Alan Travis, “What is a hung parliament and what happens now?: The Conservatives have failed to win a majority but [Theresa] May – or her successor as Tory leader – will still try to form a government”, in The Guardian, London, archived from the original on 2017-06-09:

(government, politics) A parliament in which no single political party has an outright majority.

Scottish National Party
United Kingdom general election, 2017

برلمان معلق

the English term may be used in political science


proportional representation

A voting principle aimed at securing a close match between the percentage of votes that groups of candidates (usually political parties) obtain in elections, and the percentage of seats they receive in the elected body.


Member of Parliament

Member of Parliament (plural Members of Parliament)

Members of Parliament (plural)
MPs (plural)
member of parliament (alternative)

(UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand) A representative elected by the voters of an electoral district to a house of a parliament.


referendum

referendum (plural referenda or referendums)

/ˌɹɛfəˈɹɛndəm/

From Latin referendum (“that which ought to be announced”), from refero (“I announce”).

der

In some cases, a referendum on the proposed bond issue must be held.

1975, Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau, Informational Bulletin:

Although the Cook Islands held a referendum in 1994, when voters rejected a name change, the yearning for a decolonised identity has not disappeared.

2019, Nalini Mohabir, “Renaming the Cook Islands would be a vital step towards true independence”, in Guardian.:

(politics) A direct popular vote on a proposed law or constitutional amendment. (The adposition on is usually used before the related subject of the vote.)

ប្រជាមតិ

prɑɑciə mĕəʼteʼ


plebiscite

Sense 1 (“referendum”) is borrowed from French plébiscite, from Latin plēbiscītum, plēbis scītum, plēbī scītum (“law of the common people or plebs”), from plēbis (the genitive singular of plēbs (“common people, plebeians”)) + scītum (“decree, ordinance, statute”).
Sense 3 (“law enacted by the common people”) is a learned borrowing from Latin plēbiscītum: see above. It is attested earlier than English plebiscitum.
Cognates
* Italian plebiscito
* Middle French plebiscite (modern French plébiscite)
* Middle Low German plebiscīt (“ordinance”)
* Spanish plebiscito, plebisçito (obsolete)

cog

A political result, we may also say aim, of the frumentarian plebiscite of Gaius was to disattach the city populace from its conservative moorings and to enlist it in the service of reform.

1909, George Willis Botsford, The Roman Assemblies from Their Origin to the End of the Republic:

Then something changed, and Mr. Mitterrand said he thought it would be a good idea if the Constitution allowed plebiscites, on the recommendation of the President, on issues involving personal freedoms.

1984 July 15, John Vinocur, “A SULLEN, DISILLUSIONED FRANCE MARKS BASTILLE DAY”, in The New York Times:

(law, politics) A direct popular vote on an issue of public importance, such as an amendment to the constitution, a change in the sovereignty of the nation, or some government policy.

plebiscitu

direct popular vote on an issue of public importance — see also referendum


polling station

en-noun

polling station (plural polling stations)

Dastis defended the Spanish police’s actions as they tried to halt the referendum, even though other members of the government have apologised for the violent scenes when officers raided polling stations, charged the crowds with batons and fired rubber bullets.

2017 October 22, Sam Jones, “Catalonia weighs up declaration of independence”, in the Guardian:

(British, Canada, Australia) a place where voters go to cast their ballot in an election or referendum; a voting station


ballot

Borrowed from Italian balota (obsolete), ballotta (“small ball, especially one used to register a vote”), from balla (“bale, bundle”) + -otta (suffix forming diminutive nouns); or from Middle French balote (obsolete), ballotte (“small ball used to register a vote”) (also compare Middle French balotiage, French ballottage (“second ballot, runoff”)); both ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *ballu (“ball”), from Proto-Germanic *balluz (“ball”).

cog

Association of the Oldest Inhabitants of the District of Columbia

Imagine if the outcome in Michigan is close, and 75% of Biden supporters vote absentee, yet 10% or more of those ballots are rejected.

2020 September 14, Richard H. Pildes, “The three words that can avert an election nightmare”, in CNN:

In Wyoming, a GOP state senator forwarded an FGA draft bill to Secretary of State Chuck Gray that would prohibit sending out unsolicited absentee ballot request forms.

2024 March 17, Daniel Medina and Bob Ortega, “Emails show how a right-wing group steers GOP leaders on major policy issues”, in CNN:

(originally) A small ball placed in a container to cast a vote; now, by extension, a piece of paper or card used for this purpose, or some other means used to signify a vote.

քվեաթերթիկ

paper used for vote-casting — see also ballot paper


polling

en-noun

polling (countable and uncountable, plural pollings)

(politics, uncountable) the process of voting in an election.


pregnant chad

(US) a chad that is bulging or pierced but is still attached to the voting ballot at all four corners


representative democracy

representative democracy (countable and uncountable, plural representative democracies)

(politics) A policy under the rule of people acting on the behalf of and, to a lesser extent, in the interests of the voting blocks by which they were elected.


majoritarian democracy

majoritarian democracy (plural majoritarian democracies)

A political system in which representatives are elected through winning votes of the majority of people.


paper candidate

paper candidate (plural paper candidates)

Mr. Kent. I never knew of any actual Democratic opponent to a Republican candidate for Congress in Philadelphia for a number of years, but there may have been some "paper candidate" set up.

1928, James M. Beck Election Case, First District of Pennsylvania: Hearings before the Committee on Elections No. 2, House of Representatives, Seventieth Congress, First Session: By Authority of House Resolution No. 9, part II (Law Arguments), Washington, D.C.: United States Government Printing Office, →OCLC, page 126:

One Labour candidate in a safe seat believed that his Liberal Democrat opponent was nothing but a ‘paper candidate’, while the Conservatives’ candidate in Scotland reported that his local party had been asked ‘not to canvass but to send people to key seats’; the opposition parties did likewise and were ‘almost nowhere to be seen’.

1997, David [Edgeworth] Butler, Dennis Kavanagh, “Constituency Campaigning”, in The British General Election of 1997, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Macmillan Press; New York, N.Y.: St. Martin's Press, →ISBN, page 211:

The concern is that groups, including advocacy groups, could register as parties simply by fielding a paper candidate and complying with reporting requirements.

2003 November 7, Don Boudria, House of Commons Debates, Official Report, Ottawa: Edmond Cloutier, Queen's Printer and Controller of Stationery, →ISSN, →OCLC:

A contest appears inevitable, even if he is running against a paper candidate such as Lynne Jones, and the chancellor has put in the groundwork necessary to mount a spirited and successful campaign.

2006, The Parliamentary Monitor, numbers 135–138, London: Parliamentary Communications, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 74:

An election candidate with little chance of winning, who is added to the ballot for publicity and to increase the number standing.


electoral fraud

The taking such measures, in order to secure their fair right of voting to the electors in a particular interest, must be considered rather as an act of official favouritism, than as an electoral fraud.

1839, Charles Buller, Edward Gibbon Wakefield, The Report and Despatches of the Earl of Durham:

He has saddled the finances of the Principality with the costs of a huge electoral fraud.

1882, M. Valentine Chirol, “Bulgaria”, in The Fortnightly Review, volume 36, page 293:

In addition to the strength of the Social Democratic candidates, I also examined the relationship between other political factors and the incidence of electoral fraud.

2015, Isabela Mares, From Open Secrets to Secret Voting:

(politics) Illegal interference with the process of an election, especially with the intent to stage a desired election outcome.


opinion poll

A poll organized in an attempt to quantify public opinion on a subject.

世論調査

よろんちょうさ, yoron chōsa, せろんちょうさ, seron chōsa

опи́тування грома́дської ду́мки n (opýtuvannja hromádsʹkoji dúmky, literally “public-opinion poll”)


go to the polls

en-verb

go to the polls (third-person singular simple present goes to the polls, present participle going to the polls, simple past went to the polls, past participle gone to the polls)

goes to the polls (present singular third-person)
going to the polls (participle present)
went to the polls (past)
gone to the polls (participle past)


polling booth

(British, Ireland, Canada, Australia) A voting booth.


inverted totalitarianism

Coined by political philosopher Sheldon Wolin in 2003.

A system in which democracy is corrupted and subverted by corporations and politics is trumped by economics.


superdemocracy

en-noun

superdemocracy (countable and uncountable, plural superdemocracies)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-superdemocracy.wav

(politics) Any of various democratic systems that somehow build upon democracy, as for example by combining several democracies into one, or by increasing local autonomy.


Christian Democracy

A political ideology incorporating traditional family and church values alongside progressive values, such as welfare. It is closely linked with Roman Catholicism and its philosophy of economic and social justice.

キリスト教民主主義

キリストきょうみんしゅしゅぎ


protest vote

A vote cast in an election to demonstrate the voter's dissatisfaction with the choice of candidates or refusal of the current political system.


liquid democracy

liquid democracy (countable and uncountable, plural liquid democracies)

(politics) a form of democracy where the electorate may choose to either vote directly or vest their voting power on delegates, and can withdraw their power from these delegates at any time.


direct democracy

direct democracy (countable and uncountable, plural direct democracies)

(politics) A form of democracy in which people decide on policy initiatives directly, without electing representatives.


democraticness

Because it appears so obvious to us that the exclusion of certain categories of people does not in any degree affect the democraticness of a political system, we feel it incumbent on us to include a reference to ‘justifiable exclusions’ in our definition of democracy.

1995, James L. Hyland, Democratic Theory: The Philosophical Foundations, Manchester University Press, →ISBN, page 80:

In summary: the cross-national analysis of factors promoting pluralism and polyarchy demonstrates (ceteris paribus) that favourable economic conditions and high(er) levels of human development are incentives for achieving higher levels of democraticness. However, like political factors, they are not crucial per se, nor functional under all circumstances. It appears rather that the interplay of these factors benefits further democratization and may well enhance the level of democraticness of a nation.

2009 June 30, Todd Landman, Neil Robinson, The SAGE Handbook of Comparative Politics, SAGE Publications, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 40:

Finally, we find that more hierarchically organized political systems, kings, and chiefs, as well as those organized in segments, are on average less democratic, while the presence of elders is associated with higher levels of democraticness.

2021, Clara Neupert-Wentz, Daniela Kromrey, Axel Bayer, “The democraticness of traditional political systems in Africa”, in Democratization, →ISSN:

The quality or state of being democratic.


undemocraticness

Outrage at the idea of submitting to an autocratic demand, the inherent undemocraticness of it, prompted us to vote not to go along with this and others felt the same so the attorney declined and Fred became acting chairman.

2001, Barbara Bowen Feied, Dredgings: A Personal and Social History of the 1930s and 1940s, iUniverse, →ISBN, page 183:

Howeidi went so far as to say that the ‘undemocraticness’ of the regimes has been the underlying reason for the inadequacy of Afro-Arab national security.

2012, Khair El-Din Haseeb, The Arabs & Africa, Routledge, →ISBN, page 14:

The politics of the rentier state is characterized by intensely fierce power struggles, instability, political violence, state violence, poor legitimacy of regimes, kleptocracy, conflicts, undemocraticness, political clientelism and neo patrimony.

2013, Augustine Ovuoronye Ikelegbe, Oil, Environment and Resource Conflicts in Nigeria, LIT Verlag Münster, →ISBN, page 112:

The quality or state of being undemocratic.


Milk Tea Alliance

The choice of the “milk tea” name is to highlight their shared animosity towards China, due to the fact that Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand and Myanmar all have their own local styles of milk tea, while traditional Chinese tea is drunk neat without milk and sugar.

An alliance between between democratic, pro-Western, anti-Chinese movements in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand and Myanmar.


popular initiative

popular initiative (plural popular initiatives)

(politics) A petition whereby, upon reaching a prespecified number of signatures by registered voters, the populace forces the government to either enact a law or hold a public vote on the matter.


flying voter

(Philippines) A voter who is registered in more than one voting precinct, usually one who has failed to transfer or cancel voter registration after a change of residence.


post-democratic

en-adj

post-democratic (comparative more post-democratic, superlative most post-democratic)

more post-democratic (comparative)
most post-democratic (superlative)
postdemocratic (alternative)

Pervasive postdemocratic attitudes and political indifference have enabled Britta Söldner and her business partner Babak Hamwi to develop a new business model. Their company Brücke (Bridge), ostensibly a therapeutic practice for patients with suicidal thoughts, is in reality just a front for an employment agency for suicide bombers.

2019, Anne Fuchs, “Epilogue: Presentist Dystopias or the Case for Environmental Humanities”, in Precarious Times (Signale: Modern German Letters, Cultures, and Thought), Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, →DOI, page 283:

Bong interrogates the superficiality of the parliamentary democracy and reveals how the preexisting system of social ills and corruption has been maintained and has even intensified in postdemocratic Korean society.

2020, Nam Lee, “Introduction”, in The Films of Bong Joon Ho (Global Film Directors), New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, →DOI, page 8:

Such expressions of depoliticising solidarity can be further explained by the critical analysis of contemporary (Western) democracy as postpolitical or postdemocratic. This is because, as it seems, these statements suspend a culture of political debate and conflict in favour of questions about individual lifestyles and consumerist choices.

2022, Sebastian Garbe, “A Critique of Whiteness and Maputhusiasm in Solidarity”, in Weaving Solidarity. Decolonial Perspectives on Transnational Advocacy of and with the Mapuche (Edition Politik; 123), Bielefeld: transcript, →DOI, page 220:

Pertaining to a society where democratic procedure is only superficially relevant.


post-democracy

post-democracies (plural)
postdemocracy (alternative)

It may be that we need to conceptualize democratic authorship in less unitary and more heterarchical terms and instead approach it through a diff erent model of sover-eignty and the public sphere. Maybe we should all embrace “postdemocracy”? Or should one insist that these normative criteria of legitimacy remain necessary even in view of new global arrangements, and that, in fact, they may be in a healthy tension with these arrangements?

2017, Seyla Benhabib, “Democratic Sovereignty and Transnational Law”, in Penelope Deutscher, Cristina Lafont, editors, Critical Theory in Critical Times. Transforming the Global Political and Economic Order (New Directions in Critical Theory; 7), New York City: Columbia University Press, →DOI:

Britta is an entrepreneur with a cool and calculating head who skillfully exploits the business opportunities of postdemocracy—her heart only beats for her most private affairs.

A society where democratic procedure is only superficially relevant.