Which of the following is NOT a feature of Representative Democracy?

Concept

Democracy is broadly of two kinds: Direct Democracy, where citizens themselves take part in making decisions (for example through referendums or public assemblies), and Representative (Indirect) Democracy, where citizens elect representatives at periodic elections and those elected representatives make decisions and laws on the people's behalf. The defining features of a representative democracy are: representatives are chosen through free and fair elections, the elected representatives — not the citizens directly — hold the decision-making power, and citizens hold the franchise (the right to vote) that lets them choose those representatives.

Applying it to this question

Checking each statement against these features:

• Representatives chosen through elections — this is exactly how a representative democracy selects its decision-makers.

• Decision making in the hands of the representatives — this is precisely what makes it “representative” rather than direct.

• Franchise rights to people — the right to vote is the mechanism citizens use to choose their representatives.

• Direct participation of people in decision making — here the people themselves decide, with no representative in between; that is the hallmark of direct democracy, not representative democracy.

Cross-check

A quick way to confirm: ask “who actually makes the decision?” In a representative democracy the answer is always the elected representative, never the people directly. Since direct participation removes the representative altogether, it cannot belong to the list of representative-democracy features — confirming it is the statement that is NOT a feature.