Abstract
Representative democracy is a form of democracy founded on the exercise of popular sovereignty by the people's representatives. The representatives supposedly act in the people's interest, but not as their proxy representative i.e., not necessarily always according to wishes, but with enough authority to exercise initiative in the face of changing circumstances. It is often contrasted with direct democracy, where representatives are absent or only proxy representatives. The representative democracy faces several criticisms. First, there may be a conflict of interest, the interests of elected representatives do not necessarily correspond with those of their constituents. This argument can be completed by the lack of transparency and of accountability. Once elected, representatives are free to act as they please. Promises made before the election are often broken, and they frequently act contrary to the wishes of their electorate. But the main flaw of representative democracies is, the lack of representation of the elected people, and the lack of involvement of citizens in policy-making.
