Mandat przedstawicielski we współczesnym państwie burżuazyjno-demokratycznym (Francja, RFN)

Abstract

An independent mandate, in the sense formulated by the classical theory of representation, appears only in the constitutional principles of bourgeois-democratic states. Constitutions still create such a model of a deputy who is independent of any constituency and represents ’’the whole nation” — an abstract nation, detached from vital public interests, which are generally represented by particular groups of society. When it is considered how numerous and differentiated are the links of the deputy with his constituency, it seems to be possible to point out the most general properties of the mandate of a deputy in the present-day bourgeois-democratic state. The more so that they reappear in various countries in spite of changed circumstances. The following features can be mentioned:1. Under the provisions of the law the deputy is independent of the indications and instructions of any constituency; he is guided by his own conscience, since he represents the whole nation. The legal indépendance of the deputy is particularly important in case of conflicts.2. Actually, however, the deputy is dependent on his party which put him up as a candidate. He is under moral and political obligation to follow the guidelines and implement the party policy. The degree of his dependence varies with respect to different countries.3. The deputy keeps in touch with the citizens, particularly in his constituency, though he is under no legal obligation to do so. It is due to his political and moral obligation that he intercedes with the administration for his constituency or particular constituents, further he gets acquainted with their opinions on general issues and keeps them informed as to both parliamentary activities. His function is a very important link of the political communication between those who rule and the ruled ones. However this relationship is considerably one-sided: the deputy is active, whereas the constituents seem to be mere “consumers” of the results of his activities; they do not exact his activities and do not attempt at affecting his standpoint, they cannot avail of any sanction ever until a new election. Since it is the party that stimulates and organizes the contacts between the deputy and his constituency, and has many measures to influence him, it is the party that becomes the deputy’s mandatory and not the constituents — in the narrow sense of a constituency or in the wide Sense — citizens, a nation, who, according to the constitution are the subject to the sovereign authority.4. The deputy represents concrete social interests of his constituents, milieu, union or a group, finally the interests of his party. The interests are often contradictory and it is the task of the parliamentary work to correlate them.The above picture is quite distant from the traditional portrayal of a deputy who has an independent mandate. However, it is much closer to reality.