by the people, for the people

By the people, for the people is a slogan that describes the working principles of a democracy, either in a representative or participatory form.

This beleif would imply that political representatives or participants should have the same demographic characteristics as the general population - in practice however, there is a moderate to extreme disproportionality: males and the members of the most "established culture" usually have a larger representation and influence in the democratic system.

see: grassroots democracy, power elite, voters rights