Abstract
The objective of this article is to make a comparative analysis between Portuguese and Brazilian legislation concerning the exercise of political power by citizens at the local level. The adopted perspective is that citizens’ political participation should be expanded beyond the election time by the so-called active citizenship. The first part presents a theoretical definition of the concept of democracy, emphasizing the definition of this concept by Italian jurist Norberto Bobbio. In the second part it is shown the main failures of representative democracy in its current model. Finally, the third part consists of an analysis of the Portuguese and Brazilian law which concluded that in both cases, despite the existence of legal provision for the political activity of citizens, the same does not occur. To solve this problem, it is suggested the legal redefinition of the concept of citizenship towards to what is called active citizenship, which gives the citizen not only the right to participate but also the duty to do so. The article is based on an eminently literature methodology, with the presentation of theoretical concepts on the topics analyzed, as well as statistics which show that the current model, essentially based exclusively on the electoral representation, generates detachment of the citizen from the res publica. The theme is particularly relevant when considering the current context of political representation, in which new forms of citizen participation are presented as necessary given the real disenchantment with the existing politics in most Western societies.
Highlights
Uma das definições clássicas e mais difundidas da ideia de democracia é a que se encontra presente na famosa frase do presidente dos Estados Unidos, Abraham Lincoln, que afirmou que a democracia corresponde ao “governo do povo, pelo povo e para o povo”
The objective of this article is to make a comparative analysis between Portuguese and Brazilian legislation concerning the exercise of political power by citizens at the local level
In the second part it is shown the main failures of representative democracy in its current model
Summary
Uma das definições clássicas e mais difundidas da ideia de democracia é a que se encontra presente na famosa frase do presidente dos Estados Unidos, Abraham Lincoln, que afirmou que a democracia corresponde ao “governo do povo, pelo povo e para o povo”. Uma das maneiras encontradas pela doutrina jurídico-política para a solução desse problema foi a defesa da ideia de que a prioridade, no que diz respeito ao exercício do poder político pelo cidadão, deveria ser dada à administração local. Muitos são os autores que defendem que uma maior – e verdadeira – democratização da sociedade passa pela ampliação das possibilidades garantidas aos cidadãos para que interfiram nas esferas de poder que administram aquilo que está mais próximo do cotidiano desses cidadãos, fazendo com que estes possam intervir, de maneira mais incisiva, naquilo que diz respeito à coletividade. Por fim são analisadas as legislações portuguesa e brasileira, de maneira comparativa, com o objetivo de mostrar que ainda não há, nesses dois países, a necessária abertura à efetiva participação política dos cidadãos, de maneira que estes sejam efetivamente responsáveis não apenas pelo sucesso, mas também pelo eventual fracasso das decisões administrativas que dizem respeito à coletividade
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