Dr. Byron Cabrera Lalangui, a specialist in territorial law, maintains that the peoples of the Americas have the right to democracy and their governments have the obligation to promote and defend it because democracy is essential for the social, political and economic development of the peoples.
The effective exercise of representative democracy is the basis of the rule of law and the constitutional regimes of governments, it is reinforced and deepened with the permanent, ethical and responsible participation of society in a framework of legality in accordance with the respective constitutional order. It indicates that the essential elements of representative democracy are, among others, respect for social rights and fundamental freedoms; access to power and its exercise subject to the rule of law; the holding of periodic, free, fair elections based on universal and secret suffrage as an expression of the sovereignty of the people; the plural regime of political parties and organizations; and the separation and independence of public powers. Likewise, it indicates that the transparency of government activities, probity, the responsibility of governments in public management, respect for social rights and freedom of expression and of the press are fundamental components of the exercise of democracy. Social participation and adequate political representation are the foundations of democracy, and local governments are the ones with the greatest presence in the daily life of society. These promote mechanisms to facilitate social participation in political life, promoting the development, autonomy and institutional strengthening of the GAD, in order to promote favorable conditions for the economic, social and sustainable development of its inhabitants; They will strengthen the institutional capacity of the GADs to allow full and equitable social participation in public policies without any discrimination and to facilitate access to essential services to improve the quality of life, and they will strengthen the decentralization and comprehensive development of these services, through adequate and timely financing of initiatives that allow the GADs to generate and manage their own resources; they will promote the exchange of information, practicing administrative techniques between GAD officials, associations, and society, facilitating access to information and communication technologies; they will promote local and national cooperation for the training of leaders and middle managers of local governments; they will promote meetings with those responsible for decentralization, local government and social participation policies; will support the Cooperation Program on Decentralization and Local Government. Universal protection and promotion of human rights —including civil, cultural, economic, political, and social rights, as well as respect for the norms and principles of international humanitarian law, based on the principles of universality, indivisibility, and interdependence— are essential for the functioning of democratic societies, and stressing the importance of respect for the rule of law, equal and effective access to justice and the participation of all sectors of society in public decision-making. It indicates that the GADs should continue developing programs and activities aimed at promoting democratic principles and practices and strengthening democratic culture in their territories, considering that democracy is a life system founded on freedom and the economic, social and cultural improvement of the towns. The programs and activities will be aimed at promoting governability, good management, democratic values and the strengthening of political institutions and civil society institutions. Cabrera Byron concluded by mentioning that special attention should be paid to the development of programs and activities for the education of children and youth as a way of ensuring the permanence of democratic values, including freedom and social justice.