Christian BIDÉGARAY - Responsibility as a Founding Principle of Democracy

Pouvoirs n°92 - La responsabilité des gouvernants - janvier 2000 - p.5-16

According to the recipe of constitutional democracy, there is no power without responsibility. Appearing first under a penal and arbitrary form, the responsibility of ministers has gradually become political and regulated, resignation replacing decapitation. Responsible and sometimes guilty, the rulers seem to enjoy a degree of immunity which leads public opinion to turn to judges in order to force the rulers to account for their action. Neither “party democracy”, nor “public opinion democracy”, seem to be able to revive a principle that used to be efficient against absolutism, but has been neutralized by the increasing professionalization of politics. The challenge for modern democracies is therefore to find a political solution to the crisis of politics. Résumé

Référence électonique : Christian BIDÉGARAY, "Responsibility as a Founding Principle of Democracy", Pouvoirs, revue française d’études constitutionnelles et politiques, n°92, 2000, p.5-16. Consulté le 02-06-2012. URL : http://www.revue-pouvoirs.fr/Responsibility-as-a-Founding.html