Guizot and the legitimacy of power

Authors

  • Ramón Punset Blanco Universidad de Oviedo

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17811/hc.v0i10.240

Keywords:

Bicameralism, power legitimacy, representation, representative government, separation of powers, sovereignty (people s., national s. State s.), vote (universal, restricted)

Abstract

This article contains a short critical exposition on François Guizots thought about representative system. Designed as the most capable citizens government, it was based on the restricted vote by social class grounds, and that made impossible a right solution of the power legitimacys problem, like showed the July Monarchys collapse. After the extent of universal vote, legitimacy has given up today a metapositive question, as Guizot pretended, and has become an strict constitutional issue. Values defended by Guizot --reason, truth and justice became fundamental principles and rights included in the Constitutions and they are restraining the democratic legislative powers action. The old dream of ruling laws instead of men government, dreamed too by doctrinarian group, is contained in legal democratic State.

Submission date: 12/03/2009

Acceptance date: 02/05/2009

Author Biography

Ramón Punset Blanco, Universidad de Oviedo

Catedrático de Derecho Constitucional y Director del Departamento de Derecho Público de la Universidad de Oviedo, así como ex Letrado del Tribunal Constitucional. Su obra comprende las siguientes líneas temáticas: Parlamento y forma de gobierno parlamentaria, sistema de fuentes, justicia constitucional, reforma del Senado y de la forma territorial del Estado, soberanía nacional y división de poderes, régimen jurídico de las Universidades y régimen jurídico del multilingüismo.

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Issue

No. 10 (2009): Historia Constitucional N. 10 (2009)

Section

NOTES

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