Guided democracy

Guided Democracy (Russian Управляемая демократия ) is a term for a form of government between democracy and authoritarianism. In many media and partly also by representatives of the Russian government and this term was used for the administration of President Vladimir Putin in Russia in the spring of 2000 until May 2008.

History

The concept of "guided democracy " was in the twenties of the 20th century by Walter Lippmann in " Public Opinion " (1922 ) and Edward Bernays in his book " Crystallizing Public Opinion " developed.

After the 2nd World War, the term is associated with the Sukarno regime from 1945 to 1967 in Indonesia in context. As a result, the term is applied to numerous regimes in developing, emerging and transition countries.

In Russia: From the broken democracy to guided democracy

After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 was under President Boris Yeltsin adopted a new constitution for the Russian Federation in December 1993 - " 50 percent of French constitutional inspiration, 30 percent of American inspiration and 20 percent of imperial Russian heritage " - a considerable concentration of power to the President auswies. Some observers spoke of a broken democracy, but Yeltsin defended at the time this Constitution:

" What do you want? In a country that is accustomed to tsars and leaders; in a country in which no clear interest groups have emerged, in which the support of the interests are not determined, but just normal parties are in the making; in a country where the legal nihilism is at home everywhere - you want to put in such a country the emphasis solely or primarily on the Parliament? [ ... ] Every age has its own balance of power in a democratic system. Today in Russia kicks off this balance in favor of the president. "

After the election of President Vladimir Putin in Russia in the spring of 2000, the democratic institutions of the Constitution such as elections and the Parliament remained, but they were increasingly strict control and steering by the President and his administration subject. The still existing under Yeltsin separation of powers was dismantled most of the media have been severely limited. Putin replaced Yeltsin defects democracy and its system of polycentric fragmented power through a Guided Democracy with a tight power vertical.

From representatives of the Russian government, or their related parties, the official leadership of Putin was often referred to as " uprawljajemaja demokratija ", the Russian " uprawljat " the German " Manage ", " control " or " draw " corresponds. In German-language publications is " uprawljajemaja demokratija " therefore usually translated as " Guided Democracy ", in English as "managed democracy" or "guided democracy", the terms " controlling " or " draw " in Russia as opposites to chaos, uncertainty or disorder the early 1990s under Boris Yeltsin are mostly positive connotations.

After the presidential election of 2 March 2008, there were in Russia with President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Putin in fact two equal decision-making centers. However, the Guided Democracy was largely preserved. With the term tandemocracy ( rare tandem democracy ) alluded to the new political double peak and at the same time to the persistent democratic deficits.