The Danger of Post-Democracy and the Value of Participation

National elections in Greece are approaching, and it is a fact that once again, participants in the public dialogue are consumed in the analysis of issues of secondary importance, which, as expected, are indifferent to the majority of citizens who have been called upon to deal with consecutive crises for years without the proper state support. As a result, like in previous elections, abstention rates are expected to be high, which is the strongest evidence of the decline of our political system. High abstention also represents a clear message of citizens' disappointment in the state and indicates that the quality of our democracy is poor since the institutions are unable to address the real problems that plague the largest part of the society in an organized and long-term planned manner.

At the same time, there is a significant number of citizens who support specific political parties, not consciously but traditionally, despite the fact that they themselves may have fallen victim to their leaders' decisions in the past. This, of course, is a matter of psychology. It is well known that when a citizen repeatedly supports a politician, there is a common communication code, a shared value system, and common material pursuits that together constitute the compass for their common course and the formation of a relationship that, in the case of Greece, can only be characterized as unhealthy. In other words, in a democracy, politicians are the mirror of those who vote for them.

Of course, there is also a minority of citizens who try, with dignity and without delusions, to find a political voice suitable to represent them and effectively claim the resolution of their problems. This segment of citizens does not decide traditionally, emotionally, or based on achieving short-term personal goals but realistically, even revolutionary, I would say, because they do not tolerate being socially crushed between those who do not vote and those who vote with subconscious self-destructive tendencies. However, in a democratic regime, minorities, for better or worse, are obliged to follow the views of the majority, however unbearable this may be in some cases.

The result of this explosive social mixture is the formation of the preconditions for the creation of a post-democracy, as it is satisfactorily described in the homonym book written by the exceptionally insightful political scientist Colin Crouch. In a nutshell, post-democracy is a state, political and social situation where, while the democratic system operates within the state (i.e., elections are held, governments change, and citizens' rights are protected), gradually and covertly, groups of economic interests impose their power. Democratic institutions may remain in theory, and citizens may continue to participate in elections, more or less, but their role is deeply passive and manipulated.

The situation I just described is the result of the problematic psyche of active voters and the significant lack of humanitarian education and, consequently, critical thinking and collective consciousness. In any case though, it is of paramount importance, even under these circumstances, for citizens to realize the value of participating in all democratic processes, including the upcoming elections, and not to abstain from them, regardless of their views. Thus, among other things, a brake can be put on the ongoing transition of our country towards a post-democracy and the consequences it will have for the social whole. After all, in a democracy, those who do not express their views are literally condemned, both politically and socially, to follow the views of those who have the courage to express them, despite them being clearly problematic or even dangerous.

Finally, in view of the much-anticipated constitutional revision, it would be useful to open a dialogue on the issue of citizens' participation in national decision-making processes so that they have a more active role in shaping them, not only at the end of each parliamentary term but also during it. However, I believe that this issue is, to some extent, not a matter of revising the Greek Constitution but rather falls within the broader need for a legal excavation of our Constitution, which must precede its revision, in order to find out what the real limits the constitutional legislator has already set regarding the regulation of this and many other issues.