The Direct Democrats in Vallentuna (Sweden) picked candidates for their ballot in the next election by randomness. The candidates wrote their names on table-tennis balls and placed them in a tombola, but first, they let the goddesses of Fate decide if a man or a woman should be at the top of the list and they choose a woman (of course)!
http://www.magisto.com/album/video/fngqBVlcQ0p5KjoHDmEwCXx5
The lottery was an attempt to revive an ancient democratic tradition. In the Golden Age of Athens, they never choose a leader, instead, they used the Kleroterion to select them. Democracy is based on the idea that we all have equal value. To choose a leader is to give someone a higher value and it goes against the basic democratic principle.
The political missions lasted for a year, which meant a constant circulation of people in decision-making positions. To reach a similar effect the Direct Democrats in Vallentuna decided to let the top four candidates lead the party one year each during the following mandatory period. They are:
1. Karin Forsell
2. Lennart Hedman
3. Aida Ericsson
4. Per Norbäck
(The picture shows Karin Forsell dropping the “winning ball” in the tombola.)
A failure or success? 