Country X Constitution
Many institutions could sustain democracy in a country. In Country X’s case, they have to work at bridging the divides between racial and religious groups simultaneously. If the institutions ignored the divides, democracy couldn’t flourish because there would be constant conflict within the government from opposing sides. The following institutions attempt to incentivize the different sides working together and promote the well-being of a democratic state.
The first institution is the distribution of power between the government and already existing ethnic and racial groups. A federal system would best create a cohesive nation while also creating autonomy for the different religious and ethnic groups. This institution creates independence by giving each group control over their regional state(Lijphart, 2004). A federal system means that the local states have to report to the federal government but within their region could make changes that directly benefit themselves and address their own needs. This autonomy could keep race B from seceding, as they could solve their needs regionally. This self-rule continues in education by giving funding to public and private schools equally which is the best way to ensure autonomy for the differing religions.(Lijphart,2004) This is because it insures the right to choose, as every option would have the same means. The equal funding stops families from being forced to go to a school that teaches from a differing viewpoint and ensures the opportunity of a religious or secular education which is beneficial because it eases tensions by helping create autonomy for each group.
The way the central government is held accountable is equally essential in securing a stable democracy. Separating the judicial branch from the rest of the state creates checks and balances to keep the legislative and executive branches accountable.(CP press, 2000) This promotes stability because the government needs to be responsible to its constituents to establish legitimacy. Having an impartial justice system creates accountability by making the law and actions of the state subject to review by a constitutional court, and in effect holding it to the constitution. A set term should be in place to create a space free from political incentives to make the judges more impartial(CP press,2000). A set term would mean that the courts could not be swayed to vote to get reelected and could effectively hold the government accountable. Judges in the constitutional court would be selected by the cabinet and would serve life terms.
The system of legislative and executive branches need to be designed to help create compromises between opposing parties. The best institution for this would be a parliament which combines executive and legislative functions and a cabinet formed by a party majority or a coalition of parties gold executive power. This system increases unified decision making(Reilly,2001). This helps close the divides because unified decision making creates incentives to work across party lines. Within parliament, terms would be set to keep power in check and to generate legitimacy with frequent and fair elections.
Parliament would also have control over the military’s actions, also the military should respect civilian authority. The military should be given a small role if the control of the government in the constitution, so that any move to implement control would be unconstitutional and illegitimate . The control over the military helps shrink the divides because it ensures be used to sway or change politics because that would be illegitimate, and would not be able to have the support of the population.
The head of state would be a position with little power and would be selected by a joint nomination by the prime minister and the leader of the opposition and would be a position with minimal power (Lijphart,2004). The way parliament chooses the head of state is another example of how this system of government forces opposing sides to compromise and make unified decisions. The lack of power the head of state holds solves the problem that a presidential systems have and the main reason that it wouldn’t work in a divided society: deadlock.(Lijphart, 2004) If there were deadlock in a divided country, it would be because opposing sides in a presidential system would not have to compromise which could create tension as the different sides would work against each other and would not build a mutually beneficial relationship.
The electoral process for parliament also can be designed to create compromise, the system best for this goal would be a proportional system because then there would be more voices(Lijphart,2004). Parliament would be more respected if everyone had the option to be heard because then it would represent more than just one group’s needs, and would be more likely to compromise. A proportional system could keep race B from seceding by giving them a chance to influence laws that affect them through coalitions where compromises between parties are necessary to be effective. A proportional system is more legitimate that majoritarian because it ties the results of the votes to the percentage of power each side holds. This direct link also helps contestation because many parties have to ability to win a seat in office.
The system should not be majoritarian in country X because the religion or ethnic group with the majority of the population would be more likely to win almost all of the power. This unevenness of power could create more tensions because of the existing disputes. With one side winning always winning there could be persecution of and no voice for the minority while also making the democratic process illegitimate as the same group would win again and again with little contestation because of their size.
The best voting system to promote proportionality would be an alternative voting system. This is because of the way it runs, which is to eliminate the candidate with the least amount of first choice votes, and then those votes go to their second choice. (Reilly,2001) This creates incentives for campaigning centrally which forces compromises and working on problems that affect more than one side. This is good for narrowing the divides because the more opposing parties have to work together, the less tensions there are as the relationship between the parties becomes mutually beneficial.
The constitution should guarantee the rights of the citizens so to help ease tensions. This would include fundamental freedoms (freedom of religion, freedom of speech, etc.) so that it protects the standard of living and different ways of life. Freedom of religion ensures that the government couldn’t prosecute anyone for their faith. Religious freedom is necessary for a religiously divided country to insure autonomy for religious groups. By making it unconstitutional for the majority to take away a minority group’s religion, which keeps the control of the minority’s belief in their own hands. This right could relieve religious tensions as the laws treat all religions equally.
The constitution should also ensure legal equality so that the government can’t mistreat one group. This would make the state more legitimate because everyone would be treated equally under the law, and would protect minorities from discrimination because it would be illegal and unconstitutional. The protection from discrimination could relieve tensions and also could elevate women’s status. This legal equality would also extend into the right to vote which would be given to all adults, regardless of religion, race, or gender. This would make any infringement on the right to vote a legally punishable offense and would help protect what helps make democracy legitimate: participation. The inclusion of women allows them to be more active in politics, and gaining more seats for women would be more feasible in a proportional voting system.
Institutions that promote compromise while securing autonomy would work best to create a stable democracy in Country X because they both help relieve tensions. Proportional voting combined with a parliamentary system helps create compromise, while a federal government creates autonomy.
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