Several variants of democracy exist, but there are two basic forms, both
of which concern how the whole body of all eligible citizens executes
its will. One form of democracy is direct democracy,
in which all eligible citizens have direct and active participation in
the decision making of the government. In most modern democracies, the
whole body of all eligible citizens remain the sovereign power but
political power is exercised indirectly through elected representatives;
this is called representative democracy. The concept of representative democracy arose largely from ideas and institutions that developed during the European Middle Ages, the Age of Enlightenment, and the American and French Revolutions.
While no consensus exists on how to define democracy, equality and freedom have both been identified as important characteristics of democracy since ancient times.These principles are reflected in all eligible citizens being equal before the law and having equal access to legislative processes. For example, in a representative democracy, every vote has equal weight, no unreasonable restrictions can apply to anyone seeking to become a representative, and the freedom of its eligible citizens is secured by legitimized rights and liberties which are generally protected by a constitution
