<Tr> <Td> Demarchy </Td> <Td> Variant of democracy; government in which the state is governed by randomly selected decision makers who have been selected by sortition (lot) from a broadly inclusive pool of eligible citizens . These groups, sometimes termed "policy juries", "citizens' juries", or "consensus conferences", deliberately make decisions about public policies in much the same way that juries decide criminal cases . Demarchy, in theory, could overcome some of the functional problems of conventional representative democracy, which is widely subject to manipulation by special interests and a division between professional policymakers (politicians and lobbyists) vs. a largely passive, uninvolved and often uninformed electorate . According to Australian philosopher John Burnheim, random selection of policymakers would make it easier for everyday citizens to meaningfully participate, and harder for special interests to corrupt the process . <P> More generally, random selection of decision makers from a larger group is known as sortition (from the Latin base for lottery). The Athenian democracy made much use of sortition, with nearly all government offices filled by lottery (of full citizens) rather than by election . Candidates were almost always male, Greek, educated citizens holding a minimum of wealth and status . </P> </Td> </Tr> <P> More generally, random selection of decision makers from a larger group is known as sortition (from the Latin base for lottery). The Athenian democracy made much use of sortition, with nearly all government offices filled by lottery (of full citizens) rather than by election . Candidates were almost always male, Greek, educated citizens holding a minimum of wealth and status . </P> <P> Oligarchies are societies controlled and organised by a small class of privileged people, with no intervention from the most part of society; this small elite is defined as sharing some common trait . </P> <P> De jure democratic governments with a de facto oligarchy are ruled by a small group of segregated, powerful or influential people who usually share similar interests or family relations . These people may spread power and elect candidates equally or not equally . An oligarchy is different from a true democracy because very few people are given the chance to change things . An oligarchy does not have to be hereditary or monarchic . An oligarchy does not have one clear ruler but several rulers . </P>

A form of government where a handful of elite society members hold political power is called