Meles Zenawi Quotes

Mexico has experimented with political change since the late 1980s.

Politics is the practical exercise of the art of self-government, and somebody must attend to it if we are to have self-government; somebody must study it, and learn the art, and exercise patience and sympathy and skill to bring the multitude of opinions and wishes of self-governing people into such order that some prevailing opinion may be expressed and peaceably accepted. Otherwise, confusion will result either in dictatorship or anarchy. The principal ground of reproach against any American citizen should be that he is not a politician. Everyone ought to be, as Lincoln was.

We are in a democracy, and I think for all issues, whatever matters that the opposition may have apprehension on, there is a forum, and it is called Parliament.

It is easy to fall into the trap of believing that democracy will improve the function of policy.

It is true that Egypt's attempt at democracy after the 2011 revolution encountered many obstacles in governance and infrastructure.

I see corruption as a mortal enemy for young democracies.

When politics is interesting, people go vote.

The view that we hold in Iraq now is this - that democracy is associated with elections. I believe that elections are possible.

China is on a march toward rule of law and democracy.

Events in America show the extent to which democracy there is fuelled by populism - Barack Obama's victory is a manifestation not of Washington's need for change, but of America's. That is not how democracy works in England.

Given political history in Chile, it seemed to me that there was a critical task of consolidating a democracy and creating healthy civic-military and political-military relationships.

I have just come out of an electoral experience with the people of my country in which I invited them to join me in a partnership for governance.

I take the debate on the method of promoting democracy seriously.

The problem is there is no such thing as a viable democracy made up of experts, zealots, politicians and spectators.

Democracy is far more complex than simply choosing the people who govern you.

What we are seeing here is democracy in action.

Elections alone will never be enough to ensure good governance.

We keep looking at democratization as an event—like the fall of the Berlin Wall—but it’s actually a process.

Democratic processes require time.

Africa must develop a genuine culture of alternation and opposition, without which democracy in any country, including the West, cannot exist.

You've got to lose a few [elections] before you learn what the American system is all about.

Striking a balance between governability and historical reckoning is most difficult during the early years of a democratic transition.

It's a very painful and difficult process of many mistakes when people receive the right to vote, to elect their leaders when they become the subject for mass media for political manipulation. In particular, in a country like Russia, because we had to go through this period very quickly, it has been, I would say, a crash course in democracy

Democracy is not a result. Democracy is a process.

It is very easy to have elections. It is very difficult to consolidate political order.