re: #593 ggt

An election is not in itself democracy.

Free, fair and repeated elections are a sign of democracy.

After all, you’ve got elections in Iran since 1979, but the mullahs control the process, pick the candidates that can be voted upon, and supersede the will of the people as necessary. That’s not a democracy (or a republic) no matter what they call it.

Iraq under Saddam had elections, but they weren’t free.

The Palestinians held elections once - but haven’t been able to agree on holding a second election since, even though the Palestinian Charter required one.

All through Africa, Central America, and Latin America, there were repeated examples of leaders getting elected once, and then gaming the system, ignoring the system outright, to remain in power.

So - it really takes more than a single election to guarantee democracy. It’s a step in a process towards democratic ideals.

Don’t get me wrong. It’s a big step, but it’s one that has to be repeated. With Tunisia, this government will be trusted with forming a new constitution and holding new elections in a year. Those are huge steps showing that the Tunisians have embraced a process where there’s a peaceful transition from one government to the next - even if the policies are quite different from one government to the next.