Participatory Democracy

We strive for a democracy in which all citizens have the right to express their views, and are able to directly participate in the environmental, economic, social and political decisions which affect their lives; so that power and responsibility are concentrated in local and regional communities, and devolved only where essential to higher tiers of governance.

This requires

º  individual empowerment through access to all the relevant information required
for any decision, and access to education to enable all to participate
º  breaking down inequalities of wealth and power that inhibit participation
º  building grassroots institutions that enable decisions to be made directly at the
appropriate level by those affected, based on systems which encourage civic vitality,
voluntary action and community responsibility
º  strong support for giving young people a voice through educating, encouraging
and assisting youth involvement in every aspect of political life including their
participation in all decision making bodies.
º  that all elected representatives are committed to the principles of transparency,
truthfulness, and accountability in governance.
º  that all electoral systems are transparent and democratic, and that this is
enforced by law
º  that in all electoral systems, each adult has an equal vote
º  that all electoral systems are based on proportional representation, and all
elections are publicly funded with strict limits on, and full transparency of, corporate
and private donations.
º  that all citizens have the right to be a member of the political party of their choice
within a multi-party system

[ This is an extract taken from Charter of the Global Greens, 2001 ]