Instruments, institutions and tools of democracy

Democracy may also be described by several instruments, institutions and tools:

- At the regional level, for instance one may mention the African Human Rights Court, the ECOWAS Court of Justice, the Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance.

- At the national level, the legislature (Parliament) is one of the most important institutions of representative democracy. There are other public institutions, such as the Ombudsman (Public Mediator), the Advisory Board on Human Rights, the National Commission on Human Rights, etc, which may differ from one country to another, depending on specifics.

The Constitution guarantees the rights of citizens and limits government powers.

The Judiciary must be independent; this ensures healthy democracy.

- At the local level for instance, there are local assemblies such as rural councils and prefecture councils where local representatives have their deliberations.

- Civil society's role is that of checks and balances, but may also serve as Ombudsman in the event of conflict among politicians.

- The media must be free. One of the most important roles of the media is to inform the governed and governors on public political issues.

- Referendum is a procedure whereby the electorate may vote directly on a given political, constitutional or legislative issue.

- Participatory budget: its goals are co-management and co-decision making.