Some public institutions, such as the central bank and the constitutional court in many countries, are nominally independent but are actually captive to political interests. Their leading officials are appointed by the government and these appointments are always the result of political power games. Moreover, it is fundamentally undemocratic to delegate too much power to people who have not been popularly elected. Therefore, in order to ensure the real independence and the democratic nature of these institutions, the most prominent public officials should be elected in general elections.