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The Galactic Republic certainly doesn't work like Earth's nations. It has senators who represent their systems which are governed by different laws (with little intervention from the Coruscant).

Is there a law of The Galactic Republic to enforce that all senators are elected democratically in their system? Or, are systems free to choose senators their own way (like even by Monarchy)?

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    It works like the UN (e.g. not very well).
    – Valorum
    Feb 25, 2015 at 13:42
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    Senators even on Earth aren't necessarily democratically elected. The Republic shares some notable similarities with the Roman Republic, and the Roman Senate was composed of a senator class determined by the worth of an individual's property.
    – Null ♦
    Feb 25, 2015 at 13:48
  • @Null Whatever that is, at least that's same across the entire republic. That may not be the case of The Galactic Republic.
    – user931
    Feb 25, 2015 at 13:54

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The Star Wars Databank (considered a fully canon source of information about the Star Wars Universe) has this to say about the Galactic Senate:

GALACTIC REPUBLIC

For over a thousand years, the Galactic Republic stood firm as a democratic union that governed the galaxy. The Republic was governed by the Galactic Senate, consisting of elected officials from each system and world, and Jedi Knights served as peacekeepers. With the rise of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, however, the Galactic Republic -- and democracy -- would crumble.

Obviously in such a disparate galaxy there are bound to be exceptions but it appears that in the main, Senators were supposed to be democratically elected to represent their planetary systems.

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    Which sort of begs the question: who the hell voted for Jar Jar?
    – phantom42
    Feb 25, 2015 at 14:54
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    @phantom42 - he was a war hero and a personal friend of fabled Jedi and of the former Queen. Hell, people voted for far less plausible reasons for US senate (wife of dead senator?)
    – DVK-on-Ahch-To
    Feb 25, 2015 at 17:11
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    @phantom42 - that applies to most politicians.
    – DVK-on-Ahch-To
    Feb 25, 2015 at 17:18
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    @phantom42: You should see it from a Naboo’s perspective: once he’s elected as a senator, he will get sent very far away.
    – Holger
    Feb 25, 2015 at 17:43
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    Does this section mean that each system and each inhabited world gets a representative? Do the extremely wealthy that make their homes on remote worlds in remote systems with no other sapient species get two representatives? Is there a representative from every government outpost world? Why would species' (presumably highly populated) homeworlds have the same number of representatives as a planet with a few hundred? Either this entry is oversimplifying to a fault, or this is the worst electoral system ever made.
    – IllusiveBrian
    Feb 25, 2015 at 17:44

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