Democratic republic
A democratic republic is, strictly speaking, a country that is both a republic and a democracy. It is one where ultimate authority and power is derived from the citizens, and the government itself is run through elected officials.
However, in recent practice, countries that have described themselves as democratic republics have not always held free or fair elections. Two examples of this were the German Democratic Republic and the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, communist states commonly known as East Germany and North Vietnam.[1] Another is the Democratic Republic of the Congo which in 2011 was rated by Freedom House as a "not free" country, having a rating of 6.0 (1.0 being completely free and 7.0 being completely unfree).[2] Also, the 'Democratic People's Republic of Korea', commonly known as North Korea, is rated the least democratic in the world, run by a dictator.
Current countries self-described as democratic republics
| Country | Since | Form of government | Freedom House freedom rating |
|---|---|---|---|
 Democratic People's Republic of Korea |
9 September 1948 | Juche single-party socialist state | Not free<span class="citation wikicite" id="endnote_Ranked by Freedom House as one of the "worst of the worst."">^ |
 Democratic Republic of the Congo |
30 June 1960 | Semi-presidential republic | Not free |
 Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste |
20 May 2002 | Parliamentary republic | Partly free |
 Democratic Republic of Nepal |
28 May 2008 | Republic | Partly free |
 Lao People's Democratic Republic |
2 December 1975 | Marxist-Leninist single-party state | Not free |
 Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka |
22 May 1972 | Democratic socialist semi-presidential republic | Partly free |
 People's Democratic Republic of Algeria |
5 July 1962 | Semi-presidential republic | Not free |
 Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe |
12 July 1975 | Parliamentary republic | Free |
 Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia |
August 1995 | Parliamentary republic | Not free |
Former countries self-described as democratic republics
| Country | Since | Until | Form of government |
|---|---|---|---|
.svg.png){kind=small} Democratic Republic of Afghanistan |
27 April 1978 | 28 April 1992 | Single-party socialist state |
 German Democratic Republic |
7 October 1949 | 3 October 1990 | Marxist-Leninist socialist state |
.svg.png){kind=small} People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia |
22 February 1987 | 27 May 1991 | Marxist-Leninist single-party state |
 Somali Democratic Republic |
21 October 1969 | 26 January 1991 | Single-party socialist state |
 Democratic Republic of Madagascar |
21 December 1975 | 19 August 1992 | Single-party socialist state |
 Democratic Republic of the Sudan |
8 May 1973 | 10 October 1985 | Single-party state |
.svg.png){kind=small} Democratic Republic of Georgia |
26 May 1918 | 25 February 1921 | Republic |
 Azerbaijan Democratic Republic |
28 May 1918 | 28 April 1920 | Parliamentary republic |
 Democratic Republic of Armenia |
18 May 1918 | 2 December 1920 | Parliamentary republic |
 Democratic Republic of Vietnam |
2 September 1945 | 2 July 1976 | Single-party socialist state |
 People's Democratic Republic of Yemen |
1 December 1970 | 22 May 1990 | Marxist-Leninist single-party state |
| Democratic Republic of Yemen |
21 May 1994 | 7 July 1994 | Short-lived republic |
References
- ↑ Fulbrook, Mary (1997). Anatomy of a Dictatorship: Inside the GDR 1949-1989. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-820720-7.
- ↑ "Combined Average Ratings - Independent Countries" (PDF). Freedom House. 2011. Retrieved 14 December 2011.