Translate paragraph 2 in writing

Учебное пособие для философов и политологов UNIT 5

1. Read and translate the text.

ELECTIONS

1.Elections are the central institution of democratic
representative governments. Why? Because, in a democra­
cy, the authority of the government derives solely from the
consent of the governed. The principal mechanism for trans­
lating that consent into governmental authority is the hold­
ing of free and fair elections.

2. What are Democratic Elections? Democratic elections
are competitive. Opposition parties and candidates must
enjoy the freedom of speech, assembly and movement
necessary to voice their criticisms of the government openly,
and to bring alternative policies and candidates to the voters.
Simply permitting the opposition access to the ballot is not
enough. Elections in which the opposition is barred from
the airwaves, has its rallies harassed or its newspapers
censored are not democratic. The party in power may enjoy
the advantages of incumbency, but the rules and conduct of
the election contest must be fair.

3. Democratic elections are periodic. Democracies do not
elect dictator or president-for-life. Elected officials are ac­
countable to the people, and they must return to the voters
at prescribed intervals to seek their mandate to continue in
office. This means that officials in a democracy must ac­
cept the risk of being voted out of office. The one exception
is judges who, to insulate them against popular pressure
and help ensure their impartiality, may be appointed for
life and removed only for serious improprieties.

4. Democratic elections are inclusive. The definition
of citizen and voter must be large enough to include a
large proportion of the adult population. A government
chosen by a small, exclusive group is not a democracy no
matter how democratic its internal workings may appear.
One of the great dramas of democracy through history

254 .

Part

Political science

has been the struggle of excluded groups - whether ra­cial, ethnic and religious minorities, or women - to win full citizenship, and with it, the right to vote and hold office. In the United States, for example, only white male property holders enjoyed the right to elect and be elected when the Constitution was signed in 1787. The property qualification disappeared by the early 19^th century, and women won the right to vote in 1920. Black Americans, however, didn't enjoy full voting rights in the southern United States until the civil rights movement of the 1960s. And finally, in 1971, younger citizens were given the right to vote when the United States lowered the voting

age from 21 to 18.

5. Democratic elections are definitive. They determine
the leadership of the government. Subject to the laws and
constitution of the country, popularly elected representa­
tives hold the reins of power. They are not simply figure­
heads or symbolic leaders.

6. Finally, democratic elections are not limited to se­
lecting candidates. Voters can also be asked to decide policy
issues directly through referenda and initiatives that are
placed on the ballot. In the United States, for example,
state legislatures can decide to «refer», or place an issue
directly before the voters. In the case of an initiative, citi­
zens themselves can gather a prescribed number of signa­
tures (usually a percentage of the number of registered voters
in that state) and require that an issue be placed on the
next ballot - even over the objections of the state legisla­
ture or governor. In a state such as California, voters con­
front dozens of legislative initiatives each time they vote -
on issues ranging from environmental pollution to automo­
bile insurance costs.

7. When the election is over, the losers accept the judg­ment of the voters. If the incumbent party loses, it turns over power peacefully. No matter who wins, both sides agree to cooperate in solving the common problems of the society.

_____ Учебное пособие для философов и политологов

8. As the next election comes around, opposition par­ties will again have the opportunity to compete for power. In addition, a pluralistic society, one in which reach of government is limited, tends to offer election losers alter­natives for public service outside government. Those de­feated at the polls may choose to continue as a formal oppo­sition party, but they may also decide to participate in the wider political process and debate through writing, teach­ing or joining one of many private organizations concerned with public policy issues. Democratic elections, after all, are not a fight for survival, but a competition to serve.