Without democracy, what is law?
Withough democracy, law is simply the whim of the powerfull, and since the powerfull get to do what what they want anyway, the phrase "rule of law" is meaningless.
Somebody sent an email to a health show claiming "breating is better than exercise" and the guys on the radio had a lot of fun with it. But it works out the same. Without democracy, there is no meaningfull law - so it is like exercise without breating.