By Aso Ali – According to literature of democracy and pluralism, the importance of people participation in political arena generally and election especially is not just to make a good government which is some time not the case at all. It is true that when people have a say in putting those who rule them in power, the government has more legitimacy in form of a political capital on which the ruling group depends in its rule. But more that, in the modern world election is seen as an effective channel through which the resentment and discontent of the public with the incumbents can be expressed peacefully. It is this demobilization of mass dissatisfaction with a certain ruling group which periodic elections are intended to perform. Here, we can repeat what founders of modern democracy have said: democracy replaces bullet with ballot. Continue reading →