Emblem of the Democracy
The Galactic Democracy was the ruling government of the galaxy, until the establishment of the Galactic Dictatorship.
The Democracy, led by a Supreme Pitza, had a supposedly democratic government that was able to sustain itself for thousands of years. For most of its duration as the dominant galactic power, the Democracy did not style itself as a strong centralized government, but rather as a union or alliance of sovereign planets for the purposes of promoting trade, mediating disputes, mutual protection, and all that boring political stuff.
In its latest years, it was a benevolent—though ineffective—government tied up in layers of bureaucracy, whining and small claims.