Linguistic unity is an optional accessory for democratic life.
In the spring of this year three significant elections took place on three different continents, providing the ideal situation for a few comparative considerations on the state of contemporary democracy.
India held its general elections from 7 April to 12 May, on 7 May national elections were held in the Republic of South Africa, and European citizens elected their representatives to the European parliament from 22 to 25 May.
The timing of these events is not all they have in common: for different reasons, all three carry strong symbolic implications. India, with its population of 1.3 billion, is the largest democracy on the planet.
In South Africa, equal political rights to all citizens were only granted following the peaceful dismantling of the apartheid regime in 1994, one of the greatest success stories of post-Cold War democracy, while the elections of 2014 are the first to take place since the death of Nelson Mandela.
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Linguistic unity is an optional accessory for democratic life.
In the spring of this year three significant elections took place on three different continents, providing the ideal situation for a few comparative considerations on the state of contemporary democracy.
