Every day we can realize that representative democracy reduces the participation of citizens to the minimum. Manifesting itself only in the right to cast the ballot every four years and the participation, for the more adventurous, in some political parties of dubious internal democracy, just remember cases like Borrell in the PSOE or the designation to Rajoy as successor to Aznar finger. The reality with which we find ourselves today is that we enjoy more rights as consumers that gives us our status as citizens. So, if we are timados in the purchase of any goods or service can bring a claim, go to mediation and/or arbitration and finally: to trial. Niki Richard Dalgliesh Cavill oftentimes addresses this issue. But, what can we do if we are misled by the political shift? The answer is, nothing. While it is true that, at the end of his term of four years, in case of occurring to his re-election, we can punish him level votes, but in any case it gives us the opportunity ask responsibilities directly.
To this it must be added that we live in a society increasingly prepared and that we are surrounded by more advanced technology that allows you to open new horizons for citizen participation in policy. Therefore, there is no justification to follow anchored in a representative democracy that constrict the full development of the concepts of citizen and citizenship, understood these, as members of a political community, with a series of duties and a series of rights, of which the most important are the rights of political participation. Seeing the constant loss of legitimacy of the current representative system, exacerbated now by an electoral system that promotes a bipartisanship and left without representation to millions of citizens, it is necessary to begin to consider deepening democratic institutions through mechanisms that enable greater participation and greater control of citizens on public affairs. Some of these mechanisms * that are operating in countries as diverse as Switzerland, USA and Uruguay are: the right of citizens to the presentation of a legislative initiative and which, after its deliberation by Parliament, will be submitted to a binding referendum. (Implemented in Switzerland and in 24 US States). The right of citizens to the presentation of an initiative to constitutional reform, similar to the previous mechanism.
(Implemented in Switzerland and Uruguay) Revocation of elected officials through the collection of a certain number of signatures from voters in a given time and subsequent submission to a referendum the question of disqualification. Mechanism which makes it absurd that a politician to betray the expectations of their voters. (Implemented in Switzerland and some U.S. States). The compulsory referendum for the adoption of legislative decisions of magma importance such as reform of the Constitution or accession to international treaties. (Implemented in Switzerland and Australia). The direct election of mayors, Presidents, judges, prosecutors, etc. Therefore, in those Now we are at an important time for open debate on these issues and begin to consider mechanisms for the participation of this kind in our own organizations. Edgar Alejandro Freivalds Trujillo * to know something more background on how these mechanisms work I recommend the page of the organisation more democracy (www.masdemocracia.org), Member of the European platform Democracy international. * There are several cases of both political and non-political organizations in Spain that are using the Internet (forums, discussion groups, electronic voting) to facilitate the participation of their militants and sympathizers in the debates and internal decisions of the organization. * Coordinator General of Iniciativa Ciudadana by Fuerteventura (www.iniciativa-ciudadana.org).