Different countries use varying sets of ways to elect their leaders. Great Britain uses an electoral system ?for representatives in the Commons by a ?first-past the post?

principle in each constituency? (Kesselman 64). The first-past-the-post or single member plurality system declares that the winner is the person who garners the most votes, regardless of whether or not a majority was received.

According to Kesselman, civil society in Russia began emerging in the late 1980?s. However, throughout the 90?s only a small portion of the Russian population was believed to be engaged politically. The Russians felt uncomfortable getting involved and voicing their opinions out of fear of retaliation of the government. This is certainly an unhealthy form of democracy; it is barely a democracy at all. The authority of the government rests with the people, but it is essential that the people show concern for what actions their elected officials are taking. They need to join together, create a civil society and challenge those in power.

?Special interests are promoted by friendly politicians and bureaucrats, bureaucrats have their turfs protected and often extended by sympathetic politicians, and politicians have their campaign war chests filled with contributions from the interest groups? (Kesselman 173). This is the definition of policy making partnerships known as iron triangles found in Japan. This type of civil society, one in where the powerful are working together looking out for their own interests is anti-democratic. Because everyone is afraid of getting the short end of the stick, they group together with those that are similar to them, doctors with doctors, farmers with farmers. But these types of organizations do not encourage a thriving and representative democracy. They are hurtful and restrictive and most of all undemocratic.

The participation of citizens is essential to maintaining a stable and representative democracy. If the people collectively contain the authority of the government, they need to be involved in choosing who they want to represent them. At the same time, a civil society needs to exist as a counter weight to the government. A civil society is ?the space between family and state in whi

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