Democracy and political participation

Nature of democracy

What is legitimacy?

Legitimacy means in general the 'right to govern' and to 'make laws' which will be enforced and are likely to be obeyed by the people. In more detail:

• A regime may be legitimate because its government is widely recognised. However, the legitimacy of some regimes may be disputed.

Example: The government of the UK is universally recognised whereas the legitimacy of the government of Kosovo is disputed.

Legitimacy refers to the right of an individual or body to be recognised and to have the right to exercise power. In democratic countries, legitimacy is normally conveyed by election.

• Legitimacy can refer to the degree to which a body or a government can be justified in exercising power.

Example: Are the House of Lords and the monarchy legitimate in the UK, given that…