People's sovereignty - the fundamental principle of constitutionalism

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Uzhhorod National University

People's sovereignty - the fundamental principle of constitutionalism

Veronika Berch,

Department of Constitutional Law and Comparative Law

Candidate of Juridical Science, Associate Professor

Summary

Purpose. The scientific article is devoted to the study of popular sovereignty as a fundamental principle of constitutionalism.

Research methods. The methodological basis of the scientific article is a complex of general and special scientific methods of cognition. The author used the method of analysis and synthesis, the method of description and observation, modeling, formal-legal, axiomatic and logical-semantic methods of scientific knowledge.

Results and conclusions. The idea of popular sovereignty has been the subject of scientific analysis by prominent philosophers, historians, political scientists and other researchers. The issue of direct people's power in the context of the idea of popular sovereignty in a constitutional state is always relevant in view of the dynamics of the development of social relations and the evolution of democratic processes in the world. With the changes in the political-legal, socio-cultural and economic spectrum, there was a rapid wide-ranging breakthrough of scientific opinion regarding the understanding of the idea of democracy as a whole.

It is emphasized that the essence of people's sovereignty as the basic legal principle of the state's existence consists in the expression of the will and interests of the people, the development of society within the limits of these interests in accordance with the current legislation. People's authority in the political context is unified, it is exercised in the form of state power on behalf of the entire people or local government representing one or another territorial community, in accordance with their functional purpose.

Emphasized, constitutionalism is not only a political and legal doctrine, an idea, but also a practice of application in the states of the world.

It has been noted that the basis of constitutionalism in one or another state is always a certain constitutional ideology, which should be understood as fundamental (fundamental) principles, ideas, concepts, doctrines that arise and develop in tandem with the constitutional state.

It has been established that the implementation of direct people's power on a territorial basis can be carried out both within the boundaries of a separate administrative-territorial unit (a form of direct democracy at the local level) or the state as a whole (participation in the law-making process, national elections and referenda, etc.), and in the international arena. In the latter case, it is about the people's ability to strive for self-determination, the formation of a separate independent state, and joining supranational organizations.

Key words: people's rule, people, people's sovereignty, constitutionalism, direct democracy.

Introduction

People's power is a dynamic system of power relations, which not only concentrates the main features of the supremacy of the power of the people, but also ensures the implementation of its state-legal status - popular sovereignty, the manifestation of which is largely determined by how the mechanism of people's power works (Todyka, 2007, р. 142). People's power is also considered in modern legal literature as «constitutional power of the people» (Barabash, 2010, p. 312-322; Yushchyk) and «state power of the people» (Havrylov, 2007).

The idea of popular sovereignty has been the subject of scientific analysis by prominent philosophers, historians, political scientists and other researchers. The issue of direct people's power in the context of the idea of popular sovereignty in a constitutional state is always relevant in view of the dynamics of the development of social relations and the evolution of democratic processes in the world. With the changes in the political-legal, socio-cultural and economic spectrum, there was a rapid wide-ranging breakthrough of scientific opinion regarding the understanding of the idea of democracy as a whole.

Constitutionalism as a fundamental idea, doctrine and concept

From the point of view of A. Krusyan, the concept of «constitutionalism» has three dimensions - legal, political, and philosophical-historical. In the first case, in the legal context, the scientist proposes to understand the mentioned phenomenon in a narrow (the existence of state power in accordance with constitutional principles) and a broad (a complex system of political and legal nature) (Krusian, 2010, р. 72).

From the point of view of M. Shapoval, the concept of «constitutionalism» embodies the ideology of political and legal direction, the peculiarities of the exercise of state powers within the limits defined by the constitution, as well as fundamental developments in accordance with one or another historical period of the development of the state and society (Shapoval, 2005, p. 17).

As for the broad interpretation, constitutionalism is not only a political and legal doctrine, an idea, but also a practice of application in the states of the world (Stetsiuk, 2010, p. 7). According to M. Savchyn, constitutionalism is primarily a social phenomenon, as it embodies a set of ideas, concepts and views regarding the understanding of the constitution and the peculiarities of the application of its provisions in practice (Savchyn, 2009, p. 19).

Scientist D. Belov introduces the concept of «paradigm of constitutionalism» into scientific circulation, under which he proposes to understand «a set of ideal fragments of constitutional reality (concepts, values, principles, ideas and practices) that are shared by society at a given stage of state development and form a defined vision of constitutionalism, as well as specific directions for solving the problems of constitutionalism» (Bielov, 2012, p. 33).

According to O. Rohach and D. Belov, the concept of paradigm in the scope of the disciplinary matrix is more suitable for constitutionalism. Its narrowminded interpretation leads to significant difficulties in distinguishing with such concepts as constitutional ideas, principles of constitutionalism, constitutional axioms, constitutional constructions, etc. (Bielov & Rohach, 2022), p. 40).

The basis of constitutionalism in one or another state is always a certain constitutional ideology, which should be understood as fundamental (fundamental) principles, ideas, concepts, doctrines that arise and develop in tandem with the constitutional state (Stetsiuk, 2004, p. 179).

People's sovereignty as a marker of direct participation of the people in the exercise of state power

In terms of philosophical views of P.I. Novgorodtsev regarding consideration of the concept of popular sovereignty through the prism of the realization of the power of the people by state bodies. The nation, considered as a state, is primarily an organization, and every organization inevitably involves a certain arrangement of elements, separation of organs from the general mass, opposition and subordination of one to another. No matter how democratic this organization is in its foundations, it always and inevitably requires bodies separated from the totality of citizens, and no matter how many guarantees are created to establish the dependence of these bodies on the people, in practice they will always have a known right of disposition and discretion, known independence. The researcher defines the will of the people as just and unchanging, but in practice it is only the will of everyone, changeable, unstable in its private desires. In the unlimited rule of the majority lies the same injustice to the individual forced to obey it, as in the unlimited rule of the minority over the majority (Novhorodtsev, 2000).

One of the ascending foundations of constitutional democratic ideology is popular sovereignty. Scholar O. Shcherbanyuk in her dissertation for the Doctor of Laws degree on the topic: «People's sovereignty in the political and legal construction of the modern state» rightly notes that the essence of people's sovereignty as the basic legal principle of the state's existence is the expression of the will and interests of the people, the development of society within the limits of these interests according to current legislation. People's authority in the political context is unified, it is exercised in the form of state power on behalf of the entire people or a local government representing one or another territorial community, in accordance with their functional purpose (Shcherbaniuk, 2014, p. 25).

Also worthy of attention is the monographic study by O. Shcherbanyuk entitled «People's sovereignty in the theory of political and legal teachings: historical school», which contains an analysis of the fundamental concepts of people's sovereignty, the features of enshrining the principle of people's sovereignty in the legislation of foreign countries (Shcherbaniuk, 2013).

The work of the researcher Prieshkina O.V is very interesting. «Constitutional system of Ukraine: topical issues of formation, institutionalization and development», in which, among other things, emphasis was placed on determining the sovereignty of the people as the basis of the constitutional system ( Priieshkina, 2008).

Separate issues of the implementation of state- authority functions by the people were also the subject of Yu. Miroshnichenko's scientific research. Among other things, the researcher considered the specifics of ensuring the constitutionality of decisions of the Ukrainian people (Miroshnychenko, 2011).

Conclusions

Realization of direct people's power on a territorial basis can be carried out both within the boundaries of a separate administrative-territorial unit (a form of direct democracy at the local level) or the state as a whole (participation in the law-making process, national elections and referenda, etc.), and in the international arena. In the latter case, it is about the people's ability to strive for self-determination, the formation of a separate independent state, and joining supranational organizations.

Finally, we note that the legal category «popular sovereignty» cannot be considered without an analysis of the rule of law, the supreme power of the people, constitutionalism and democracy as a whole. The concept of «people's rule» is not the same as people's sovereignty, since the existence of people's rule in a state does not mean that the principle of people's sovereignty is ensured. Presence in the state system and real observance of the principle of people's sovereignty is an important indicator of the existence of democratic foundations for the functioning of the state and civil society.

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