Democratic Legitimacy

Democratic legitimacy is public acceptance of political authority grounded in democratic procedures and principles. It connects the right to govern with popular authorization, political equality, and accountable institutions.

Political Legitimacy: The justified right of a political authority to make and enforce binding decisions. Democratic legitimacy is one account of what makes political authority rightful.
Democratic Elections: Competitive, periodic voting procedures through which citizens choose political representatives or decide public questions. Elections provide a visible, repeatable source of authorization for officeholders.
Electoral Democracy: A political system in which competitive elections select governing officials. It can describe electoral authorization without guaranteeing broader democratic principles.
Political Obligation: The moral duty, if any, of people to obey the laws and institutions of a political community. Legitimacy is often invoked to explain why citizens may owe obedience to democratic law.
Popular Sovereignty: The principle that ultimate political authority rests with the people. It supplies the democratic basis for citizens' authorization of government.
Representative Democracy: A system in which citizens choose officials to deliberate and govern on their behalf. It explains how popular authority operates through elected institutions rather than continuous direct rule.
Liberal Democracy: A democratic system that combines elected government with civil liberties, legal limits, and protections for minorities. Its rights-based requirements make legitimacy depend on more than majority choice.
Civil Disobedience: A public, conscientious breach of law intended to change laws or government policy. It tests whether citizens may resist decisions they regard as unjust despite democratic procedures.
Political Equality: The principle that people have equal standing and influence in political life. Unequal political influence can weaken claims that authority reflects the people.
Majoritarianism: The principle that decisions should follow the preferences of the numerical majority. Majority rule can authorize decisions, but by itself may neglect minority rights.

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