Does classical liberalism imply democracy?
https://www.ellerman.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Reprint-EGP-Classical-Liberalism-Democracy.pdf
“There is a fault line running through classical liberalism as to whether or not democratic self-governance is a necessary part of a liberal social order. The democratic and non-democratic strains of classical liberalism are both present today particularly in the United States. Many contemporary libertarians … represent the non-democratic strain in their promotion of non-democratic sovereign city-states.”
I would tend to say no.
Classical liberalism, in its original form, simply advocates for maximal individual liberty and minimal imposed authority. It doesn’t really stipulate any details - just that, when an issue arises that presents a choice between liberty and authority, liberty should be preferred.
Beyond that, democracy, in spite of its reputation, does not necessarily lead to liberty. If the majority votes to destroy the liberty of, or even simply kill outright, the minority, that would be democracy in action just as surely as any othe winning vote would be.
Lysander Spooner said it better than I ever could:
Or as H.L. Mencken predictably put it much more simply: