(University of Pardubice)
ABSTRACT:
Typically, democratic conceptions of political legitimacy (e. g. Buchanan 2002; Christiano 2004; Estlund 2009) stipulate that a functioning system of free and fair elections is necessary and sufficient for establishing a legitimate government. I disagree: free and fair electoral regime is only the first step toward democratic legitimacy. Equally important is the second step: the acceptance of the given electoral system by the population.
My main ambition is to re-interpret the ideal of popular sovereignty as the basis of political legitimacy. I argue that this ideal can never be fully realized solely by organizing elections. A degree of continuous, informal acceptance of the political system (including the acceptance of the specific electoral system chosen by the given country) is also indispensable.