One major demand of democracy is ‘universal adult franchise’ i.e. the right to vote for every adult citizen. But in world politics, there are many instances of denial of equal right to vote.
These are
i. In Saudi Arabia, women did not have the right to vote until 2011.
ii. Estonia made its citizenship rules in such a manner that people belonging to the Russian minority find it difficult to get the right to vote.
iii. In China, before contesting the elections, the candidate needs the approval of the Chinese Communist Party.
Although these countries declare themselves as democracies, the fundamental principle of ‘political equality’ is denied in all the cases. Thus, these are not truly democratic countries.
