On balance, the Separatists (CIS) were more justified than the Republic during the Clone Wars.

However, voters should take note that I am put at a disadvantage because I will not be given the opportunity to refute such claims. It is also worth noting that my opponent was given this opportunity. COUNTER-REBUTTALWell, why they did have a democratic branch, the CIS was headed by Count Dooku, who was NOT democratically elected. In fact, the higher up bureaucracy of the CIS was very corrupt. While it is true that Dooku was not democratically elected, people voluntarily joined his cause, therefore giving his leadership legitimacy. This is shown by the fact that it says he swayed many systems to join his cause in this article. [1]Also, in saying that the higher up bureaucracy of the CIS was corrupt, I have two questions-1. What bureaucracy? The Confederation was not interested in their member systems' affairs. They did not have any want or need to intrude upon their own societies and governments. According to the Star Wars wiki (which is very well sourced by the way) the Separatist planets-began to withdraw from the Senate in 24 BBY, organizing themselves into a loose separatist movement which allowed for capitalism with no government involvement in planetary affairs. [2]And since the definition of bureaucracy is-Bureaucracy- : a large group of people who are involved in running a government but who are not elected : a system of government or business that has many complicated rules and ways of doing things [3]Neither definition applies to the Confederation. The first definition does not apply because 1) The group in charge of leading the confederation was not large at all, consisting of only a handful of members. 2) The Confederacy was not so much a government as an alliance of systems, as shown earlier by the fact that there was no government involvement in planetary affairs. The second definition does not apply because the Confederation was fairly simple, and had no set of rules that were forced upon its members. Member states were free to do as they wished.2. Was their bureaucracy (which I have shown to not even exist) as extensive or as corrupt as that of the Republic? I feel that I should point out that, from my understanding, the CIS didn't leave the Republic by legal process, they illegally declared independence. Much like the South during the Civil War. This point is entirely absurd. Lets think about this a bit. If it is wrong for a group of people, who have been wronged, to leave a government that is no longer representative of their values, every war of independence in the history of the world is wrong. Take for example the American Revolution. The American Revolution started because of the lack of representation in England as well as the over-taxation placed on the colonists. These reasons are strikingly similar to the reasons for the formation of the Confederation. Just because something is illegal doesn't mean it is wrong. In conclusion, the CIS was perfectly justified, just as the American Colonists were, to secede from a government where they were under-represented, over-taxed, and mistreated. Thank you. [1] . http://starwars.wikia.com...[2] . http://starwars.wikia.com...[3] . http://www.merriam-webster.com...