While electoral systems dictate how votes are counted in free societies, the broader global landscape is defined by the fundamental ideological divide between Democracy and Authoritarianism. This distinction determines who holds power, how that power is maintained, and the level of freedom granted to the population. In a healthy democracy, political power is decentralized and rests on the principle of popular sovereignty. Governments are held accountable through regular, free, and fair elections, an independent judiciary, a free press, and robust protections for civil liberties. Citizens have the right to dissent, organize, and peaceably change their leadership. Conversely, authoritarian regimes centralize power in the hands of a single leader, a small elite group, or a single political party. In these systems: Political pluralism is severely restricted or outright banned. The rule of law is replaced by the rule of the regime, with the judiciary and media serving as tools of state control. Elections, if they occur at all, are often heavily manipulated or purely ceremonial to give an illusion of legitimacy. Between these two extremes lie "hybrid regimes"—governments that exhibit democratic characteristics, such as holding regular elections, but suffer from significant authoritarian weaknesses, such as media censorship, political corruption, and the harassment of opposition groups. Understanding this spectrum is critical, as a government's classification directly influences its domestic stability, economic policies, and international alliances.
