Political power in a democracy is derived from the

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Democracy is a system of government in which political power ultimately resides in and is derived from the people. This is the foundational principle of democratic governance, often expressed in Abraham Lincoln's famous definition: "government of the people, by the people, for the people."

In a democracy, the people exercise their sovereign power through elections, referendums, and other participatory mechanisms. Government officials derive their legitimacy and authority from the consent of the governed. This distinguishes democracy from other systems:

• In traditional systems, power derives from hereditary status or custom through traditional rulers.
• In authoritarian or military regimes, power comes from the "barrel of the gun" - that is, through force and coercion.
• While institutions are important in a democracy, they are the channels through which popular power is exercised, not the ultimate source of that power.

The people remain the source of political power in a democracy because all governmental authority depends on their mandate, expressed through free and fair elections.