The correct answer is (b).
Polyarchy is a form of government in which the supreme power is held by the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of elected representatives. The central features of polyarchy are:
- Government is in the hands of elected officials.
- Practically all adults have the right to vote.
- There is free expression and a right to criticize and protest.
- There are alternative sources of information.
- There are independent associations that can check the power of the government.
Option (b) is not a central feature of polyarchy because it is possible for a polyarchy to have restrictions on who can run for office. For example, the United States has a restriction on who can run for president: the president must be a natural-born citizen of the United States. However, this restriction does not prevent the United States from being a polyarchy.
Options (a), (c), and (d) are all central features of polyarchy.