Democracies do have written rules {constitutions} and referees {the courts}. But these work best, and survive longest, in countries where written constitutions are reinforced by their own unwritten rules of the game. These rules or norms serve as the soft guardrails of democracy, preventing day-to-day political competition from devolving into a no-holds-barred conflict.
( Steven Levitsky )
[ How Democracies Die: What ]
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