noun
representative system
Refers to a political system in which elected representatives make decisions on behalf of the people.
日本は代議制を採用している。
Japan adopts a representative system.
代議制の下では、国民は選挙で代表を選ぶ。
Under a representative system, citizens choose their representatives through elections.
民主制 (democracy) is a broader concept; 代議制 is a specific form of democracy where representatives act on behalf of the people.
Compound of 代議 (representation, deliberation on behalf of others) and 制 (system). The term is a modern political concept adopted in the Meiji period.