There exists not only theory, concept or model of democracy, but clearly a pluralism or plurality of different theories and models. The concept of "democracy" is contestable. It is understood by many people to mean a form of government in which a significant portion of the governed society has a franchise to elect members of the governing body. Other observers would argue that a "true" democracy is a system of government that embraces a universal adult franchise. While flaws exist in all democratic systems of government, most advocates accept Churchill's dictum that contemporary democracy as we know it is the least bad of all systems of government.

What is democracy?
The popular understanding of the term "democracy" is that there are three basic forms: direct, representative and constitutional. Direct democracy is a form of government in which the right to participate in making political decisions is exercised directly by all citizens, acting under procedures of majority rule. Representative democracy is a form of government in which the citizens exercise the same right of participation in making political decisions, not in person but through elected representatives.
Constitutional democracy developed to counter this possibility and is a form of representative democracy in which the powers of the majority are enshrined in constitutional provisions designed to guarantee the individual and collective rights of all citizens.
There is an abundant literature relating to democracy theory, with countless definitions of what democracy should be and what democracy is. (Buhlmann 5).
There is no consensus on how to measure democracy, definitions of democracy are contested and there is an ongoing lively debate on the subject. (Kekic 1).
Michael sodaro defines democracy as: “The essential idea of democracy is that the people have the right to determine who governs