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Difficulty: Very hardDemocracy: Meaning, Types, Features, and Prerequisites

A nation transitioning to constitutional democracy aims to insulate its governance structure against autocratic consolidation. Which of the following conditions represents an essential institutional prerequisite for sustaining democratic stability?

  1. An independent judiciary vested with judicial review and supported by a resilient, autonomous civil societyAnswer
  2. B
    The reliance on coercive physical force by executive authorities to compel civic compliance
  3. C
    The total supremacy of electoral political sovereignty over constitutional rights protection
  4. D
    The concentration of state power within a single executive organ to optimize administrative efficiency

Answer

An independent judiciary vested with judicial review and supported by a resilient, autonomous civil society
An independent judiciary with the authority of judicial review, backed by an autonomous civil society, serves as an indispensable prerequisite for democratic governance by maintaining constitutional limits, protecting individual rights, and ensuring institutional accountability.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the core prerequisites of a constitutional democracy
Identify that democracy requires legal limits on government power, judicial independence, and societal mechanisms for accountability
Without institutional checks and external civil oversight, democratic governance easily degenerates into authoritarian rule
2
Evaluate the institutional role of judicial review and civil society
Confirm that an independent judiciary protects constitutional rights, while an autonomous civil society holds elected officials accountable
These elements form necessary socio-political safeguards against state power abuse
3
Distinguish genuine democratic prerequisites from common conceptual distortions
Reject options emphasizing coercive force, absolute majority supremacy over rights, or power concentration
Coercion reflects raw force rather than legitimate authority, unbridled popular sovereignty leads to majoritarian tyranny, and power concentration breaches structural checks and balances

Key Concept

Essential Prerequisites and Features of Constitutional Democracy
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Topics

Democracy: Meaning, Types, Features, and Prerequisites

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