Question

Difficulty: MediumDemocracy: Meaning, Types, Features, and Prerequisites

Which of the following serves as an essential prerequisite for ensuring that public opinion continuously holds governing authorities accountable between election cycles?

  1. An active civil society alongside a free and independent pressAnswer
  2. B
    The concentration of coercive physical force in the executive branch
  3. C
    The restriction of supreme political sovereignty exclusively to parliament
  4. D
    The complete legal immunity of elected executive officials from all judicial inquiry

Answer

An active civil society alongside a free and independent press
In representative democracy, elections provide periodic accountability, but an active civil society and a free press act as continuous safeguards. They inform citizens, investigate state actions, and aggregate public opinion to keep the government responsive between elections.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the core requirement of the question stem
Identified that the question focuses on continuous public accountability between periodic elections.
Elections occur periodically, so democratic governance requires ongoing institutional mechanisms to convey public opinion and check power in the interim.
2
Evaluate the democratic prerequisites in the options
Determined that civil society organizations and mass media act as the primary conduits for public opinion, civic engagement, and investigative oversight.
Without independent media and civic associations, public opinion cannot be effectively voiced or organized to influence government policy.

Key Concept

Prerequisites for Successful Democracy
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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