Federation Democracy

[The Overlord]

How does Democracy work in the Federation? We know the Fedeation has elections, but are there political parties? Does the Federation avoid partisanship? What policy differences are there between candidates in a uptoian society like the Federation? How does the Federation avoid the pitfalls of modern Democracies?

 

[JirinPanthosa]

Star Trek TV shows and movies have never gone into much detail about civilian leadership in the Federation. I don't know if the novels go into more detail, but in the TV shows it seems like decisions about policy on any given planet is driven by local government within certain guidelines established by the Federation such as 'No slavery', 'No class oppression', etc. Then decisions about military, governing of shared resources, foreign relations and so on are made at the Federal level.

 

[The Wormhole]

The novel A Time for War, a Time for Piece goes into a Federation election while the novel Articles of the Federation goes into the inner workings of the Federation government, basically think of it as The West Wing in the 24th century.

 

[Timo]

We have heard of two voting processes in the Federation so far. In "Homefront", UFP President Jaresh-Inyo has this to say:

JARESH-INYO: I never sought this job. I was content to simply represent my people on the Federation Council. When they asked me to submit my name for election, I almost said no. Today I wish I had.

This describes two separate things: that J-I used to represent his people (we have no idea who they were - his species, the people from his home planet, the people from his political party, a random flock assigned him?), and that he later underwent an election to become the UFP Prez.

The other process is from "Journey to Babel", where Ambassadors journey to Babel on an apparent fact-finding mission, after which there will be a vote, and it appears to be divided by either planet, or species, or culture. That is, the Tellarite rep presses Sarek for revealing "the Vulcan vote". And "Vulcan" may mean any of the above three.

Neither of the above is a popular vote unless we want to believe it is. One means voting on a person, whose political powers (beyond the ability to declare martial law on Earth) are unknown. The other means voting directly on an issue. We don't know who is casting the votes - the people, agents elected by the people, or agents appointed without regard to the people. We don't even know the name of the forum at which the voting for the President takes place; in the TOS episode, the vote on Coridan is at "the interplanetary conference", either a proper name or a mere description for the forum.

Apart from the above two bits on elections, there's this from "Rapture" as regards the process of becoming a UFP member, from Adm. Whatley:

Now, Bajor's admission is only the beginning. Now comes the hard part. Federation council members have to be chosen...

No idea who does the choosing - some Bajoran organization, democratic or theocratic or other, or perhaps some UFP board, democratic or bureaucratic or whatever? No idea what those members do, either, but the plural is interesting in at least slightly detracting from the idea that every planet/culture/species would have a sole representative or a single vote.

On such flimsy evidence, it's difficult to argue for or against the existence of political parties, or specieist parties, or planetary parties. We never hear anybody campaign for getting elected. We never hear anybody express support for or opposition to a candidate. Nobody ever votes on screen, or tells of voting.

So at best we can go by the novels. And they don't do anything fancy: the UFP is essentially a generic Western democracy in space, with many details gleaned from the US model specifically.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Tenacity]

... basically think of it as The West Wing in the 24th century.

I found it very disappointing that the Federation's government was essentially a Human western government model.

The input and influence of hundreds of alien species, and it's "just" Europe/America?

I would prefer something more exotic, more strange, more bizarre and yes more creative. A government where Human institutions are the odd ones out.

 

[Nyotarules]

Vulcan has a one party state. Be a follower of Surak and that's it.
Earth not so sure, although in a DS9 novel the office of US President still exists but it might just be a ceremonial role, like the British monarch.
Andor in the DS 9 relaunch novels has political parties.
Betazoid seems to be ruled by matriarchal Houses
I like to think the Federation is not a carbon copy of the 'West Wing', but that seems to be how it is run.

 

[The Overlord]

I guess there has to be some safe guards to prevent some populist demagogue from being elected, who is promising to build a force field on the Neutral Zone and say the Romulans will pay for it.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I found it very disappointing that the Federation's government was essentially a Human western government model.

The input and influence of hundreds of alien species, and it's "just" Europe/America?

I would prefer something more exotic, more strange, more bizarre and yes more creative. A government where Human institutions are the odd ones out.

Since ST is written by humans, for an audience of humans, I think it's understandable.

That said: We don't know that there ARE political parties in the Federation, but we also don't know that there aren't. Although the latter is probably more likely.

 

[Nyotarules]

I guess there has to be some safe guards to prevent some populist demagogue from being elected, who is promising to build a force field on the Neutral Zone and say the Romulans will pay for it.

There is a populist demagogue Federation President in the DS 9 novel series 'The Fall'

 

[Timo]

It would be a bit limiting for an individual to be represented solely through his species or his planet of residence, rather than through a group of like-minded folks, but that's what we do today, too: you don't get to decide on French affairs without being French, or on Milanese affairs without living in Milan. Although you can change your nationality today, whilst it might be a bit more difficult to change your species even in Trek.

Of course, Trek could do all sorts of scifi things without being "inhuman". Direct democracy, say, where everybody can and often will vote on everything constantly, much like we do social media today, with mobile communications devices and a couple of decisionmaking-helping or auto-voting apps to help us along. Or a nostalgic return to feudalism, or to original Greek-style democracy where only the council of warriors gets to vote. Or one of the usual scifi twists on those, such as a meritocracy where your IQ or contribution to GNP determines the number of votes you can cast. Or a lottery on political positions. It's just that this would be much more trouble than worth: Trek isn't good with "systems" in general, and why should politics matter when we want to follow the adventures of soldiers anyway? If anything ought to sound alien to us today, it's soldiers doing the policymaking.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

^ But that does not, technically, count, since:

Spoiler: The Fall

The president in question is basically an alien spy who gained the presidency under false pretenses. And you'll notice that after his true identity is discovered, he's quickly taken out.

So if the intention is that Federation politics in general, is anything like that president, I would say that's not true.

 

[Nyotarules]

^ But that does not, technically, count, since:

Spoiler: The Fall

The president in question is basically an alien spy who gained the presidency under false pretenses. And you'll notice that after his true identity is discovered, he's quickly taken out.

So if the intention is that Federation politics in general, is anything like that president, I would say that's not true.

True but he deals with the Andorian situation like a demagogue, if he was not exposed they would have kept him in office. So he still got elected due to fear tactics.
Another TOS novel explains it was due to corruption why the Cloud dwellers got into the Federation.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

^ Nobody's perfect.

 

[Tenacity]

I guess there has to be some safe guards to prevent some populist demagogue from being elected, who is promising to build a force field on the Neutral Zone and say the Romulans will pay for it.

Safe guards that will suppress the will of the people? Hopefully no such "safe guards" will ever exist.

And it sound like just such a leader was in place at the end of the Romulan War, because the Romulan Neutral Zone was put in place. And if the Romulan were forced to pay for it, so much the better.

Good leadership.

Vulcan has a one party state.

Influanced by 1970's fan fiction, I like the idea of Vulcan being lead by a informal council of families (or clans), instead of a formal elected planetary governments. Also there's the possibility (from The Final Frontier) that Vulcan has a ruling royal family.

omething more exotic, more strange, more bizarre and yes more creative.

Since ST is written by humans, for an audience of humans, I think it's understandable.

That's where "creative" (or the lack of ) comes in.

 

[FormerLurker]

The Federation President is probably elected by the Federation Council, as a sort of Electoral College. Each member world submits their candidate for President, the Council deliberates on their qualifications and decides if they fulfill enough of them to be viable, and then when they have some critical mass of nominees, they hold a vote and the winner is declared President. How often that happens, I would honestly have no idea.

 

[The Overlord]

Safe guards that will suppress the will of the people? Hopefully no such "safe guards" will ever exist.

And it sound like just such a leader was in place at the end of the Romulan War, because the Romulan Neutral Zone was put in place. And if the Romulan were forced to pay for it, so much the better.

I was being facetious. I was just wondering if humans were supposed to be more "evolved" in the future, would they fall for a populist demagogue?

 

[Tenacity]

The Federation President is probably elected by the Federation Council, as a sort of Electoral College.

Or the Federation Council selects the President from among the Council members.

I was being facetious.

Cool.

I was just wondering if humans were supposed to be more "evolved" in the future, would they fall for a populist demagogue?

If the people felt the need for a overdue change, and they felt a populist was the best way of accomplishing it? That would be their chosen path.

 

[Nyotarules]

I was being facetious. I was just wondering if humans were supposed to be more "evolved" in the future, would they fall for a populist demagogue?

Humans might, the rest of the Federation might not. Humans are not the majority race

 

[Galactic Alignment]

Earth not so sure, although in a DS9 novel the office of US President still exists but it might just be a ceremonial role, like the British monarch.

Most presidencies are ceremonial -- countries like the US and France with executive presidents are actually the minority. With countries like Germany, Italy, Ireland or Finland, I doubt many people living outside those countries could even name the actual presidents.

 

[Tenacity]

Humans are not the majority race

Does the Federation have a "majority race / species?

I doubt many people living outside those countries could even name the actual presidents.

Or the prime minister.