As a matter of fact, states which are particulate about the guarantee of individual liberty as well as majoritarianism and also have well institutionalised democratic systems, are usually termed advanced liberal democracies or modern democracies (O'Neil), most of which are in the global north like the UK, USA, Germany, Canada and others; by and large have relatively high levels of economic development and prosperity. It is no surprise then, that the post- cold war era saw many states democratizing since like a towering lighthouse guiding emerging States; development, just as Sachs 1992 postulates, seemed to be pointing to the direction of democracy. For this reason some Authoritarian and Totalitarian regimes, which were non-democratic begun adopting some democratic values; making them move from non-democratic regimes to a transitional democracy with the hopes of becoming a fully-fledged Modern Democracy. .
Most countries especially in Africa to which Ghana is no exception, are transitional democracies. Confucius has it that, in defining the future, there is the need to study the past, and so, in the quest to become an advanced democracy, the posture of the ancient Athenian democracy with respect to a modern day democracy is looked at. The Athenian democracy had three main political bodies and these were the assembly or ecclesia which met ten times in a year, the council of 500 (boule) and the courts. Thorley (2005) posited that, of these three bodies it is the assembly and the courts that were the true sites of power since the assembly and the courts were regarded as the people and that no power was above them. Hence, they could not be reviewed, impeached or punished. This is very indicative of a principle highly exalted in the advance democracies that is the principle of popular sovereignty, where the citizenry or the masses are seen as the true source of power and authority of the government.
