Direct democracy

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Democracies are sometimes divided into Direct and Indirect (also known as Representative democracy), the latter being the most popular. In Direct democracies, all citizens are entitled to make laws. However current systems today which use direct democracy only have a small population, as this is not convienient for large cities or countries to use. Modern examples of direct democracy are referenda, as local coucils and central government have realised that it is a useful way of avoiding contreversial descision changes.

Obvious difficulties arise in attempting to give direct power to the all citizens.

Problems with direct democracy

How does one gather everybody to hear and vote on new policies? This can be countered with growing modern technology, such as computer or television broadcasts to reach the people. Referendums therefore are held only when important descisions need to be made. Referendums are used in both types of democracies, indirect less so. Note, though, that some countries such as Switzerland, and some American states, use the referendum often despite the possible drawbacks.

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