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Why the Democratic System Is Sound in the Caribbean

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Submitted By rocky718
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Factors of Democracy in the Caribbean and its Challenges
The political systems of the Commonwealth Caribbean nations paradoxically are both stable and fragile. All have inherited strong democratic traditions and parliamentary systems of government formed on the Westminster model. Political succession generally has been handled peacefully and democratically. For example, Barbados' Parliament deftly coped with the death in office of prime minister Errol Barrow in 1987. At the same time, however, the multi-island character of many of these nations makes them particularly open to fragmentation.
Democracy is about power sharing and continuos balance of powers. Most countries of the West Indies follow a Westminster system that is associated strongly with the convention that political change should only occur in accordance with rules and precedents. Commonwealth Caribbean (English-speaking) either operate the constitution they were given at independence or have a constitutional change by making a process of small adjustments. For example in Jamaica in the Peoples National Party (PNP) under the leadership of Michael Manley in 1976 promised to create a republic which is a public financing of political parties, and included the extension of "integrity-legislation" to include senior public officials. But due to these radical reviews the people were able to vote against PNP prevented these implications. This proved that the people were able to balance out the power of political imbalance and restore it by refusing these changes. Also in the Westminster system is a civilian system that is dedicated to civilian supremacy which requires the military to be subject to civilian control and remain out side the formal political area.
Another factor that shapes the democratic system for the Caribbean is bureaucratic ad police neutrality. This system is

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