C.E., the abbreviation for "Common Era" is used to mark time in the same way. B.C. means "before Christ" and B.C.E. stands for "Before the Common Era".
A representative democracy is a system of government where citizens elect representatives to vote on laws on their behalf.
An direct democracy is one where citizens vote on every issue themselves. The key difference between the two systems is who is voting on laws, elected officials or the citizens.
