Democratic Republic

The term "Democratic Republic" has formed part of several government's official names, many of which are police states ruled by Marxist-Leninist parties.

Compare:

• People's Republic
• peoples democracy

Some of the justifications for using the word democratic to describe these governments include:

• they are non-monarchic
• they are ruled by "the people"
• they "promote the general welfare"

The term is intended to convey the sense that the government is a democracy. Western observers are usually quick to object that these governments are NOT democratic in any of the usual senses, since they:

• never hold elections
• generally treat attempts to emigrate as state treason
• have little or no freedom of religion, freedom of speech or freedom of press

Many Western observers charge that these states are dictatorships using the word democratic as a smokescreen.

Currently the Democratic Republic of Congo, East Timor, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Sri Lanka label themselves as democratic republics. Algeria, Laos, and North Korea call themselves Democratic People's Republics.