When you talk about democracy you mean...
By democracy we mean a political system that protects the inalienable freedoms and the human rights of its citizens; where regular free and fair elections are the way to elect citizens representatives and the government; where transparency and social accountability play a major role in the way institutions respond to citizens demands; where the rule of law and the separation of powers enshrine the principle of limited government and counterbalance abuses of power; and where participation and civic engagement are a fundamental element of daily governance and decision-making.
Having said this however, there is not a unique model of democracy in the world. The way the elements of democracy are arranged, varies in time and space; in response to the specific social and political contexts in which these democratic principles are developed; according to local cultural and social values; as a result of a historic path but also as a result of the different visions of society.
By the same token, it can be said that democracies are in constant flux, in a permanent process of redefinition and change. It is precisely, in the dialectic relationship between universal values and local diversity, in the contradictions between the ideals and the practice of governance that democracies must find the drive to reinvigorate their social and political institutions so that they can respond effectively to (old and new) social and economic challenges.