The basic principle of democracy is that the will of the people should be the basis of how a country is governed. Although nearly half of the countries in the world are labelled democracies, there are barely a handful which are truly democratic, and that is why it is clear that democracy is not just a form of government to be implemented, but a process.

The International Day of Democracy is observed to emphasize the ways in which democracy can further the concepts of freedom and equality, and the advancement of human rights, and to highlight the need to work on establishing truly democratic political systems with maximum participation of the people being governed.