Adam Przeworski, in entitled “Who decides what is democratic?”, discusses the concept of democracy. In short, there are two groups: minimalists, with a more procedural approach, define democracy as a regime in which citizens are free to choose and remove governments freely; and the maximalists, who see it as a method for realizing certain extrinsic values that they consider desirable.
The question posed by the author is that, while the minimalist definition may seem insufficient to many, it allows coexistence with retrograde forces and even defends the end of democracy, maximalists are unable to reach a consensus on what the essential values of democratic life are. . There is no general will that encompasses everyone, we cannot be reduced to a singular interest: we are many and diverse, with different values and priorities.
In one case, we accept defeats or that the values of the groups that are governing us are different from ours because governments are temporary. As Przeworski highlights, “defeats are always temporary”, just until the next election.
Oppositions to retrograde and undemocratic governments need to unite to be successful. This is only possible to the extent that they consider the democratic method efficient to process conflicts over the values that democracy should pursue.
Only when Brazilians understood the magnitude of the threat posed by his re-election and united behind his candidacy was it possible to overcome the setback. A and the support of and in the second round exemplify this pragmatic alliance. In Poland, in 2023, different political forces put aside controversial issues, such as the decriminalization of abortion, to form a .
The debate about democracy and the importance of defending it in the face of threats from retrograde and anti-democratic forces seems especially relevant at the beginning of 2025. Three significant events refer to this theme.
The certification of his electoral victory occurred peacefully and uneventfully, a marked contrast to what happened four years earlier. , Trump’s opponent in the 2024 race and current vice president, .
When Congress, STF and Palácio do Planalto were invaded and vandalized by supporters of Jair Bolsonaro unhappy with his electoral defeat, they were marked by a worrying political emptying. The presidents of the Chamber, the Senate and the STF, which risks reducing a celebration that should be for all the democratic forces in the country to a milestone only for the left.
Finally, na’s inauguration took place after an electoral process marked by irregularities and .
These events reinforce the relevance of the debate about what is democratic and the role of political alliances in safeguarding democracy in times of uncertainty.
