The more political systems, media, or citizens around the world invoke democracy, the more it seems that a clear understanding of what it is supposed to be fades away. As Emanuel Richter demonstrates in his original book, "democratic symbolism" can provide a fundamental functional definition of democracy, which must be understood on a general, symbolic level as action among equal citizens. This allows for, firstly, the establishment of criteria and assessments for all political processes that claim to be democratic. Secondly, it enables the understanding of citizens' political participation as an emancipatory project that continually seeks to realize the rule of the people.