Home > 3 Electoral systems > Report on Democracy, Limitation of Mandates and Incompatibility of Political Functions
 
 
 
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Paragraph 122
 

Despite the permanent controversy about the nature of representation, there is a general agreement that the representative process is intrinsically linked to elections. Elections are a conditio sine qua non of democracy, but democracy cannot be simply reduced to competitive elections. In reality, elections are more of a “one – way street’ than a “two-way street”: they do not always provide a real opportunity for mutual influence between the government and the voters. The limitation of mandates aims to strength democracy as does the incompatibility principle between different political functions.