Question

Which of the following is a test to say whether the elections are free and fair?
A.Elections are held at regular intervals
B.There is Universal Adult Franchise
C.There is multi-party system
D.The ruling party has lost the elections

Answer 1

Hint: The election results are accepted by the people after the results are announced by the conducting body and there is a peaceful transfer of power from one party to the other in India.

Complete answer: All the terms mentioned in the options are important points in case of the validity of democracy and free and fair election practices. Hence, we shall take a look at the options one by one to reach the correct answer.
A. Elections are held at regular intervals: Elections being held at regular intervals does not mean that they are free and fair. For example, elections are held periodically within the Chinese Communist Party but are not free at all as there is a predefined winner and a predefined set of candidates. So, it is an incorrect option.
B. There is Universal Adult Franchise: Since there are the adult people of a country who come out and vote their candidates, they also accept the voters’ decision even if the candidate they voted for has lost because the supporters of the winner are always in majority. This shows that the elections are fair. Otherwise, there would have been a revolt. So, it is the correct option.
C. There is a multi-party system: this is not a test to say if the election is fair and free as there are many parties in Russia but they do not hold free elections. However, in the United Kingdom, only two parties exist and there is a free and fair election practice. So, it is an incorrect option.
D. The ruling party has lost the elections: If the elections are not free and fair and the ruling party loses, it means that the opposition is more powerful than the ruling party and this means that the machinery of the state has collapsed. This leads to a failed state altogether. So, it is an incorrect option.

Thus, Option B is correct.

Note: Democratic countries need not be republics and vice versa. For example, the United Kingdom and Canada are not republics but are democratic whereas China is not democratic but is a Republic.