Is this the model democracy?

Is this the model democracy?

ARENDAL, Norway — On a blazing mid-August afternoon in this southern city, a line of white sailboats flying multicolored streamers and national flags floated densely packed in the harbor. On the deck of a sleek white wooden vessel, two politicians mounted on a platform sat squinting against the sun, fixing their microphones and sipping water. Along the boat’s hull, a hanging blue banner proclaimed Demokratibåten, or “The Democracy Boat,” in loop…