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The right to choose government leaders, for Calvin, was a gift from God, and for that reason he favored representative government over the absolute monarchies of his day. But he also did not favor unbridled democracy, which in the 16th century meant direct action by the people, which he feared could lead to anarchy and could easily be manipulated by demagogues.

The form of government he advocated was close to the modern republican government. He rejected the absolute power of kings who ruled with no checks on their authority, and he suggested the distribution of political power among qualified people, who would assist each other in running the affairs of the government. This was Calvin’s contribution to the principle of checks and balances embodied in the constitutions of most democratic nations.