<P> Power of Initiative allows members of the general public to propose specific statutory measures or constitutional reforms to the government and, as with referendums, the vote may be binding or simply advisory . Initiatives may be direct or indirect: With the direct initiative, a successful proposition is placed directly on the ballot to be subject to vote (as exemplified by California's system). With an indirect initiative, a successful proposition is first presented to the legislature for their consideration; however, if no acceptable action is taken after a designated period of time, the proposition moves to direct popular vote . Such a form of indirect initiative is utilized by Switzerland for constitutional amendments . </P> <P> Power of Recall gives the public the power to remove elected officials from office before the end of their term . </P> <P> Anarchists have argued that direct democracy opposes a strong central authority, as decision - making power can reside at only one level: the people themselves (through direct democracy) or the central authority . </P> <P> The earliest known direct democracy is said to be the Athenian democracy in the 5th century BC, although it was not an inclusive democracy: women, foreigners, and slaves were excluded from it . The main bodies in the Athenian democracy were the assembly, composed of male citizens; the boulê, composed of 500 citizens; and the law courts, composed of a massive number of jurors chosen by lot, with no judges . There were only about 30,000 male citizens, but several thousand of them were politically active in each year, and many of them quite regularly for years on end . The Athenian democracy was direct not only in the sense that decisions were made by the assembled people, but also in the sense that the people through the assembly, boulê, and law courts controlled the entire political process, and a large proportion of citizens were involved constantly in the public business . Modern democracies, being representative, not direct, do not resemble the Athenian system . </P>

Who is regarded as the prophet of direct democracy