Democracy

In a democratic system, every single person of the nationality has the right to choose the candidate they want. It is the right but also the chance of every citizen to cast their votes for their party or their candidate when elections take place. It’s the people who vote for the party or candidate who represents their ideals or interests the most. At the end of election day, all the votes are counted together and the party or candidate with the most votes has won and he will take the responsibility for a newly formed government. You can be really happy when you live in a country where democracy is based on fair rules and not influenced by money or the status of the candidates.

In Belgium, every citizen over eighteen years of age has to go to the polls because there is a law that says that voting is compulsory. Belgium is a federal state, composed of communities and regions; and this makes it really complicated when it comes to elections. Every 4 or 5 years, the citizens are requested to cast their votes in different elections: for the European Parliament, the federal parliament in Brussels, the municipal parliament (i. e. the Flemish Region, the Brussels Capital Region, and the Walloon Region), the communal parliament in the Flemish Community, the French Community and the German-speaking Community and the elections for the provincial governments (there are 10 provinces). As you see, it is a bit confusing.

We all believe that true and fair democracies are based on the choices of all the people whether they are wealthy or not, regardless of the colour of their skin, religion, or ethnic background. Everyone must have equal access to vote. It is crucial that the candidates represent the voters’ interests and that they keep in mind the prosperity of all the citizens. More concretely this means: they must act to save our planet and thus our future.