Democratic Republic
From Biocrawler, the free encyclopedia.
The term "Democratic Republic" has formed part of several government's official names, many of which are police states ruled by Marxist-Leninist parties.
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Some of the justifications for using the word democratic to describe these governments include:
- they are non-monarchic
- they are ruled by "the people"
- they "promote the general welfare"
The term is intended to convey the sense that the government is a democracy. Western observers are usually quick to object that these governments are NOT democratic in any of the usual senses, since they:
- never hold elections
- generally treat attempts to emigrate as state treason
- have little or no freedom of religion, freedom of speech or freedom of press
Many Western observers charge that these states are dictatorships using the word democratic as a smokescreen.
Currently the Democratic Republic of Congo, East Timor, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Sri Lanka label themselves as democratic republics. Algeria, Laos, and North Korea call themselves Democratic People's Republics.
