Assistant Professor of the Faculty of Law and Political Science in Islamic Azad University, Science and Research campus
Abstract
The question is how this new phenomenon has impacted democracy? That is while e-citizen (who in reality is a world citizen, rather than subject of a particular country) has become a reality, do we have an e-democracy? The main factor baffling the efforts of e-citizens to achieve this goal is that governments (even in post industrial societies where different form of parliamentary system is the norm) are not willing to allow a true e-democracy to take root. They much prefer to engage in a one way dialogue with e-citizens than establish a two- way dialogue. A growing number of citizens are using computers to get involved politically. They engage in e- demonstrations, e-panels, and e-sit ins to inform the e-public about the political issues. In response to the people’s turn to internet for political participation several governments are going digital and are planning to make e-voting a reality. They see this as a way to overcome the political apathy which has plagued liberal democracy to some extent. I am personally optimistic about the future of e-democracy and believe that e-democracy will spread fast and will make the governments more responsive to the needs of people and the democratic as well as authoritarian regimes would increasingly engage the public in policy processes.