The despise of electoral politics: crisis of representation and counter-democratic legitimacy on Rosanvallon’s work

Abstract

The paper analyzes the recent transformations in representative democracy in the contributions of Pierre Rosanvallon, from the perspective of a more just and equitable democracy. Rosanvallon opposes the reduction of democratic politics to the electoral procedure, and proposes a theory that intends to expand the meaning of political action beyond electoral mechanism. The idea of counter-democracy integrates all the instiutuitions that would act as counterpoint, creating new forms of political legitimation, absent in the minimalist conceptions of electoral democracy. Instead of lamenting the fall of the electoral system as a vehicle of popular will, the French author celebrates the emergence of non-electoral forms of accountability. The article argues that, although he intends to expand the meaning of political action beyond the formal representation, Rosanvallon promotes the disqualification of electoral politics and depoliticises the representation for the benefit of unelected powers.