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Democracy has been defined by many political theorists who concluded that it is more than just having elections. However, Philippe Schmitter and Terry Lynn Karl have gone further than just defining what democracy is, they defined how it actually functions. Schmitter and Karl identified three key points that make democracy functional. Firstly, after an election representatives must not use their powers to limit or bar opposition parties from being elected, in order to have political competition for power and place. The “momentary losers” in return will respect the outcome of elections and the winner's authority and right to make decisions dealing with matters of the state. Secondly, citizens should accept and respect decisions that proceed from representatives after elections, as long as they are open and fair. Lastly, there must be cooperation and competition among civil societies and interest groups to form effective boundaries of power in a democracy. This paper will utilize Schmitter and Karl's criteria needed for a democracy to function in its analysis of two countries, the Federative Republic of Brazil and The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
The Bolivarian Republican of Venezuela is located in South America and is bordered to the north by the Caribbean Sean and the Atlantic Ocean and to the east by Guyana, to the south by Brazil, and bordered by Colombia by the west. The country was formed in 1830 and first discovered by Christopher Columbus during his third voyage to the New World in 1498. After 1498, the Spanish Empire began colonization of Venezuela in 1521 and founded settlements such as Valencia in 1555 and Santiago de Leon de Caracas in 1567. From the 16th century to the early...

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...ated by Philippe Schmitter and Terry Lynn Karl in order to have a functioning democracy. The Workers Party has been in power since 2002 and has not try to weaken other opposition parties to stop them from being complentive, rather the opposite. Under Presidents Lula and now Rousseff they were elected on a ticket with a coalition of different parties and must share power in order to govern because their party does not have a majority in Congress. In the recent election of Dilma Rousseff, Brazil passed the second key point made by Schmitter and Karl. Rousseff was elected with 56% percent of the vote and her opponent Jose Serra, conceded to her and there were no riots or protests after the election. Lastly, civil societies are engaged in Brazil and as there are many neighborhood associations and representatives from trade unions who advocate for their own interests.

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