Democracy

"A true leader doesn't seize power. He's given it by his followers." -- Perceptor

Democracy is a form of government by in which all participants have equal vote on decisions that affect the group. Democracy does not appear to have a prominent place in Transformers society, as the vast majority of their leaders and policy appear to be decided on either by the departing previous leader, the interpreted will of the Matrix, or a High Council. (It is unknown whether any High Council is elected into office, and most known members seem to serve for millions of years, until assassination.) This seeming Martial Law is possibly due to the perpetual wartime that exists on Cybertron.

Examples of democracy in Transformers fiction

Generation 1 animated series

• In the movie, the Decepticons take a vote on whether or not to jettison their damaged comrades in order to make it back to Cybertron.
• In Five Faces of Darkness, the Decepticons take a vote as to whether or not they should ally themselves with the Quintessons.

Marvel Comics continuity

• Optimus Prime explains to Jetfire the terms of his leadership of the Autobots. He states that if the Autobots wish him to step down, he will. It is also their right to leave individually. Though Optimus Prime was appointed to Autobot Commander by Emirate Xaaron, he suggests that it is the will of the people that keeps him there. Whether this is only Optimus Prime's feelings or an actual, enforced policy is never discussed. Rock and Roll-Out!
• When Optimus Prime dies in battle, the Autobots must select a new leader. The seven Autobots who held a "position of authority" (Perceptor, Jetfire, Blaster, Hot Spot, Silverbolt, Omega Supreme, and Ratchet) hold a private conference to nominate a replacement. This practice is not strictly democratic, as not every Autobot present was eligible to participate. If the "positions of authority" were electable positions themselves, the conference could be categorized as republican. (It should be noted that Grimlock was also eligible to participate, as leader of the Dinobots, but he showed up late only to tell everyone they were stupid and weak, that Optimus Prime was a loser, and to nominate himself. The conference eventually decided on Grimlock, of course.) King of the Hill!

Beast Wars animated series

• When Optimus Primal goes missing, a secret ballot is cast among the four remaining Maximals. According to Rhinox, voting in this manner is a Maximal tradition. The vote results in a tie, and Dinobot laughs at the process's revealed faults. Presumably, Predacons do not believe in democracy. Optimus Primal was able to contact them soon after, and he declared Rattrap the leader in his absence. Chain of Command

References

From Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki, a Wikia wiki.