A peaceful transaction of transfer of power is a concept important to democratic governments in which the leadership of a government peacefully hands over  control of the government  to a newly elected leadership democratically. This may be after elections or during the transformation from different kinds of political regimes, such as the post communist period as did after the fall of the Soviet Union. 

Under  the score of  scholarship, in examining democratization and emerging democracies, study of the successful transition of power is used to understand the transition to Constitutional democracy and the relative stability of that Government.  A 2014 study concluded that 68 countries had never had a peaceful transaction of power due to election since 1788.

A 2014 study by Adam Przeworski of 3000 elections from 1788 to 2008 published in the journal comparative Political studies concluded that 68 countries (including Russia and China) had never had a peaceful transition of power between parties Following an election making it a “rare recent practice” The same study found that once a country was an initial peaceful transfer of power (an alternation) is very likely to keep doing so, making peaceful transition of power a habit forming activity. In a stable institutionalized democracy a peaceful transition is expected outcome of an election.