Democracy And Democratization In Democracy

Democracy is a form of a regime that is associated with “rule by the people” that implies rights and liberties for citizens, such as civil liberties and political rights to partake in elections. Democratization is the process of a regime becoming more democratic through democratic transition or consolidation. Democratization is a progression that can take several generations (Meisburger 155). A democratic transition is a movement from an authoritarian rule to a democratic one, whereas consolidation is the process in which a new democratic order becomes institutionalized, and the idea of authoritarianism is rejected (Dickovick and Eastwood 121-123). For example, Tunisia has seen a democratic transition, which was created by a civil society with strong, non-violent demands for respect for human rights (Chan 2). Human rights include civil rights, such as equal access to institutions and freedom of speech, and political rights, which gives people the right to political expression and the right to vote (Dickovick and Eastwood 121). The change had begun after massive demonstrations, after a street vendor, named Mohamed

The presidency went to Ennahda ally Moncef Marzouki, who won the most votes the next year. He took power December 23, 2011 (Stepan 90). His victory is a notable success because Tunisia was the first Arab country to have achieved a democratic transition since the Arab Spring (Akbar). It was Tunisia’s first free parliamentary election. Two years and two politicians murders later, people called for the Ennahda-led government to step down. It was the only Islamist-led government to step down willingly. Luckily, there were no groups strong enough in Tunisia to enforce its authority, including the military, which was kept weak under the previous regime (Chan