Power transitions and leadership successions in government

The peaceful transition of power from one set of hands to another is one of the basic features of a working democracy. The simple image is of a new pair of hands replacing a former pair or indeed collection of hands, each set of hands able and willing to hold the reins of power, or in a more contemporary image, exercise the levers of power. In some eyes, the levers are almost neutral instruments of power which lend themselves equally to any set of authorized hands. In democratic systems, authorization involves democratic processes of election and representation, with popular support (and not mechanical competence) taken as the primary test of eligibility to exercise power.