Democracy, by contrast, presupposes that each member of a given association is worth equal respect and his interest should count as equal to every other in the association. Equal value, as a constitutive characteristic of democracy, here means equal weight of interest of each member in the calculation of the interests of all members of the association.

In both cases, what distinguishes democracy from its rival conceptions lies in two core elements: popular participation, and equal value. This minimalist conception of democracy, which is proceduralist and unspecified by any ideology, can well incorporate deliberative, as well as aggregative notions of democracy.

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Whilst aggregative democracy deals with individual interests through bargaining and compromise, deliberative democracy seeks to construct a consensus on common good through free and reasoned discussion.

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Likewise, the preferred minimalist conception of democracy can accommodate religious democracy, as secular democracy is accommodated. The specification and variation of this minimalist conception of democracy, therefore, depends on a particular ideology, which gets married to democracy.

When the democratic decision- making procedure applies to the political system of a large- scale society in modern times, it is crystallized in the form of some institutions of representative democracy. With regard to what democratic institutions should be, some theorists of democracy suggest the electiveness of the governmental offices through free and popular votes.

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Since, this electoralism may incorporate in the category of democracy what Linz describes as electoral authorita tianism

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L arry Diamond and his colleagues define a democratic regime in terms of extensive competition for political offices, inciusive political participation, and a sufficeint

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