Introduction

The people are sovereign- they are the highest form of political authority. Power flows from the people to the leaders of government. The leader should power till the time they hold the democratic consent of the governed. And the consent of the governed is secured through periodic elections held in free and fair environment. In fact, people elect their representatives at local, provincial and national levels by exercising their democratic franchise rights. The elected representatives at the national, sub- national and local levels should listen to their constituents– the people- and respond to their needs and voices. Election, in fact, performs as a self-corrective system. Political parties review their performance and behaviour on the basis of the vote they do receive in elections. Key role of citizens in a democracy is to take part in elections which should necessarily be conducted in a free and fair environment. Besides, citizens should participate in public spheres as maker and shaper of public values, goods and services. Citizens, therefore, need to be informed, educated about civic issues for effective participation in public spheres and watch critically as democratic watchdog as to how political leaders, representatives and administrative/government authority use or abuse their powers. Needless to say, free and fair periodic election is the bedrock of democracy. What is important, in a democracy, is not only strong democratic institutions like Election Commission, public service commission, national human rights institution but also empowered citizenry with independent and unencumbered agency to perform meaningfully an active role in the process of democratizing democracy. In fact, it may be possible to have democratic institutions in the high politics of the state but allowing profound injustice or irresponsibility to exist in the deep local politics of the society. It is therefore critical to strengthen local democracy that matters to the life of the citizens.