Dhaka: Speaking ahead of the International Day of Democracy that falls on Thursday, the United Nations Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order, Alfred de Zayas, has called on parliaments and governments to be responsive to people and not to lobbyists.

‘Democracy must be lived and practiced every day. It entails much more than periodic voting, which in many cases is only pro forma, in the absence of public influence on the choice of candidates and scarce possibility of policy change,’ the UN expert said, adding that democracy means a genuine correlation between the will of the people and legislation and policies that affect them, be it domestic or international.

More and more, 'representative democracy' has disappointed voters, because parliamentarians, once elected, rarely consult with their constituencies and sometimes take decisions that are clearly contrary to the expressed wishes of the electorate, said Zayas.

The frequent disconnect between parliaments and the people has led to a feeling of disenfranchisement in many countries, resulting in apathy, absenteeism and distrust, according to a message received here from Geneva on Wednesday.

Dissatisfaction with the performance of parliaments has opened the door to exploitation of social problems by populist politicians, the expert observed.

Representative democracy can only be considered 'democratic' when parliamentarians proactively inform constituencies about laws and treaties that will affect them, consult with them regularly and endeavour to implement their wishes in good faith.

At the very least, according to the UN expert, democracy requires full disclosure and multistakeholder participation, i.e. 'participatory democracy'. In the absence of popular consent, it is inconceivable for democratically elected Parliaments to ratify such agreements.

‘In order to generate democratic change, it must respect human rights, in particular pluralism, electoral law principles, freedom of opinion and expression, freedom of peaceful assembly and of association.’

He said the emergence of People Power is the best avenue to effect changes that will ensure human rights for all.