US Secretary of State John Kerry spoke passionately Wednesday about the "incredible yearning for modernity" sweeping across the world, warning that free elections do not necessarily usher in true democracy in many countries.
The months of protests in Ukraine that led to the ousting of president Viktor Yanukovych were just one example of "people power" in recent months.
Such protests were "a reflection of this incredible yearning for modernity, for change, for choice, for empowerment of individuals that is moving across the world, and in many cases moving a lot faster than political leadership is either aware of or able to respond to," the top US diplomat told a small group of reporters.
The ousting of Yanukovych, like July's toppling of Egypt's first democratically elected president Mohamed Morsi, proved that elections by themselves were not always enough.
"A democracy is not defined solely by an election," the top US diplomat argued.
"You can have a democratically elected government, but you don't have democratically-instituted reforms that actually give you a democracy, a full, practicing, functioning democracy," Kerry said.
"And what you have in many places is a general election, a popular election, absent reform, present with great corruption, great cronyism and a huge distortion of democratic process."
Since the start of the so-called Arab Spring in 2011, the United States has sought to support countries and their fledgling democracies as they emerge from under decades of autocratic rule.
But many Middle Eastern and North African nations are still grappling with the fallout of their political upheavals, and the overall results of democracy building have been patchy.
Washington froze most of its military aid to Egypt in October after the military-appointed leaders failed to turn the country back towards democracy following Morsi's fall, which the Obama administration has pointedly refused to term "a coup."
Kerry said that what had happened in Egypt was "a significant movement away from democracy by decree."
Yanukovych was elected in close presidential elections in 2010 in the former Soviet satellite.
He narrowly defeated his 2004 Orange Revolution co-leader Yulia Tymoshenko, who he later threw behind bars.
"In Ukraine, you had this incredible kleptocracy going on, with no real representation, no voice for the opposition, no willingness to listen to the opposition, in fact they jailed them instead. That's not democracy," Kerry said.
AFP
Thu Feb 27 2014
![Elections don't always lead to democracy, says Kerry Elections don't always lead to democracy, says Kerry](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/http://img.astroawani.com/2013-03/81362180552_295x200.jpg)
10 Berita Pilihan - (16 Julai 2024
Antara pelbagai berita dalam dan luar negara yang disiarkan di Astro AWANI, berikut adalah yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari ini.
PAC beri tempoh tiga bulan kepada HRD Corp
Jawatankuasa Kira-kira Wang Negara (PAC) memberi tempoh tiga bulan kepada Perbadanan Pembangunan Sumber Manusia (HRD Corp) untuk mengemukakan laporan tindakan susulan terhadap syor jawatankuasa itu.
Kylian Mbappe tandatangan kontrak dengan Real Madrid
Bintang bola sepak Perancis Kylian Mbappe menandatangani kontrak selama lima tahun dengan kelab Sepanyol Real Madrid pada Selasa.
Pelepasan ketujuh air sisa nuklear Fukushima ke laut selesai
Jepun telah menyelesaikan pusingan ketujuh pelepasan air sisa radioaktif yang dirawat dari loji kuasa nuklear Fukushima Daiichi ke Lautan Pasifik pada Selasa.
Empat termasuk kapten maut dalam pertempuran
Empat anggota tentera India termasuk kapten meninggal dunia akibat kecederaan selepas pertempuuran pada malam isnin di Hutan Desa.
Pakistan sahkan 4 warganya terbunuh di Oman
Pakistan berkata pada Selasa empat warganya terbunuh dalam insiden tembakan pada malam Isnin berhampiran ibu negara Oman, Muscat.
Lima terbunuh, puluhan cedera dalam protes antikuota di Bangladesh
Sekurang-kurangnya empat orang terbunuh dan puluhan lagi cedera dalam pertempuran antara pelajar yang memprotes sistem kuota dalam pekerjaan sektor awam dan polis di pelbagai bahagian Bangladesh pada Selasa.
Kerajaan cadang perkenal pembiayaan swasta
Kerajaan menyasarkan untuk memperkenalkan pembiayaan swasta alternatif bagi memastikan kemampanan kewangan program sektor air, sekali gus mengurangkan kebergantungan pada perbelanjaan kerajaan dan mengukuhkan daya tahan.
Saya tak fitnah Guan Eng, cuma jelaskan siasatan SPRM - Muhyiddin
Presiden Bersatu Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin memberitahu Mahkamah Tinggi Kuala Lumpur hari ini bahawa beliau tidak memfitnah Lim Guan Eng berhubung isu pengecualian cukai terhadap Yayasan Albukhary
KPT alu-alukan dapatan, cadangan PAC - Zambry
Ini termasuklah cadangan pelaksanaan Garis Panduan Pelaburan dan Pembiayaan oleh Universiti Awam 2024 kepada anak-anak syarikat di bawah seliaan Kementerian Pendidikan Tinggi (KPT).
![Facebook akui media sosial boleh bahayakan sistem demokrasi Facebook akui media sosial boleh bahayakan sistem demokrasi](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/http://img.astroawani.com/2018-01/51516695187_FBLogo.jpg)
Facebook akui media sosial boleh bahayakan sistem demokrasi
Facebook mengakui gagal mengawal rangkaian media sosial itu daripada digunakan pihak asing dalam pilihan raya presiden Amerika Syarikat yang lalu.