Possible Corrective Actions

1) Install a More Democratic Election Process
In order to prevent the economic elite from controlling the outcome of elections as a result of their financial power and subsequent influence, consider the following election system.
Let's say a country wished to elect a government of 100 elected members.

To eliminate the theatrics and monetary waste involved in current election campaigns, and to prevent any party from requiring or in fact being helped unfairly by contributions from the economic elite, put all parties on an equal footing. First have each party prepare a platform which makes clear its stand on all the key issues of the day, and let the platforms be debated first nationally by relevant party authorities, and then exhaustively in local public forums.
A fund of money from taxes would be set aside for televised interparty debates concerning the merits and flaws of each others platform planks. At party election time, have the party's previous contributions to society posted for all to see. Make each political party prepare a written platform that if elected will stand as a matter of record.

Then at each polling booth let the people initially vote for a PARTY (and its platform), ...instead of for a candidate. After a party is chosen by the most per capita votes in the country, the respective number of members of each party are determined by the relative ratio of total votes received. By electing a party by the number of per capita votes, the abuse of gerrymandering would be eliminated.

Let money from taxes, necessary to elect the 100 candidates, be then divided among the winning parties accordingly, to cover the cost of electing their members. The respective parties would then hold elections to field the appropriate number of candidates nationally. In other words, if one party received ten percent of the country vote, then that party had the right to elect it's ten candidates. Only those who had originally registered as voting members of that particular party would then be eligible to vote in the secondary "candidate" elections.

At CANDIDATE election time, have the candidates' previous contributions to the community, be posted for all to see. Make each political candidate prepare a written statement regarding his stand on the key issues of the day. If elected it would stand as a matter of record. Then each party would elect their representatives.

Once in power, the incoming party then has the right, not the obligation to replace ministers holding portfolios.

Ensure that a minister only holds a portfolio for which he has special qualifications and training.

Elected politicians should be considered ineligible unless they have a history of community service as opposed to economic self- service. This should be just as mandatory a condition for the unelected appointees.

Slowly elevate the role of elected official to a position of honor and respect by making the penalties socially devastating for serious abuse of public trust. Influencing peddling, at least 10 years.

Serious abuses of public trust by a President or Attorney General should carry a 10 year minimum sentence, not merely impeachment. Let's get rid of the Divine Right of Kings once and for all.

Strip a convicted elected official of his special pension rights.

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And last but not least, it may come as a shock to some Americans, but:

In a real DEMOCRACY, its leader would not be able to veto the wishes of the elected majority.