Abstract:

Democracy as a political concept corresponds to a form of government. In this form of government, political equality is established between individuals by eliminating privileges and differences between the ruler and the ruled. Therefore, in essence, democracy consists of self-determination of the people. However, this phenomenon, which is described as popular power, finds the opportunity to apply at different levels in various societies depending on the socio-cultural, economic, and political development levels of the societies. This situation paves the way for the emergence of alternative interpretations and models of democracy over time. In this vein, it is possible to state that democracy can be characterized with different meanings depending on the level of social organizations within the line of historical development and may be exposed to different interpretations in the context of practical practices. As a result of the dynamic nature of democracy, the main purpose of this study is to deal with the dominant and controversial interpretations of democracy in the context of the main arguments of democracy models/interpretations.