A democratic form of government puts the power of the government in the citizens of the country. All citizens have the opportunity to be a leader, and all citizens have the opportunity to vote for leaders and laws. Advantages of this system include the fact that all citizens are involved in the decision-making process of the government, and all groups in the country are represented. Democratic governments can often be slow to make decisions since people must discuss and vote on issues. Also, ever citizen may not have the information to be truly informed on all matters to make decisions. In the twenty-first century, most democratic countries are representative democracies. In this type of democracy, the citizens of the country elect representatives to make decisions. A representative democracy allows citizens to choose leaders for a certain amount of time. After that time, elections are held to choose new leaders. The United States is an example of a representative democracy. A direct democracy requires a vote by all citizens for every decision by the government. Most countries in the world are labeled democracies. However, this does not mean that there are open and free elections in these countries. Cuba, for example, labels itself as a democracy. However, when elections are held, the Communist Party approves the candidates for each position. It is not possible for a person to be elected to office without the approval of the Communist Party. In Canada, citizens are allowed to run for a position in the House of Commons with few restrictions. Citizens vote for these law-making leaders. From among these people, a prime minister is selected to head the government. The queen or king of the United Kingdom is Canada’s head of state. She or he requests that the prime minister select a governor general to represent her or him in the government.