Democracy in Third World Countries: A Historical Analysis of Democratic Practices in Third World Countries of Asia, Latin America and Africa

Abstract

Democracy is the most acclaimed system of governance today such that it has become the template for measuring civilizations around the world. The concept of democracy is understood and practiced differently in different regions of the world. The scope of Democracy as practiced in Western countries goes beyond periodic elections: It entails respect for fundamental rights and freedom of citizens, greater liberalization of the economy, good governance, and the rule of law. In Asia democracy, it is understood as equitable distribution of wealth and economic development. In Latin America, it is more of electoral and constitutional democracy with more power wielded to the presidency while today’s African Democracy has been described as Neo-patrimonialism or personal rule. A type of governance characterized by a very powerful executive and weak legislative and judiciary systems. This paper aims to shed light on the understanding and practices of democracy in Third World Countries with specific references to Asia, Latin America, and Africa. The study has been built from secondary sources and employed a qualitative research approach.