Some Remarks on the Right to Democratic Governance

JVF Conference Papers

Democracy has been said to represent the most suitable contemporary system of government.

While there exists a vast literature exploring the benefits of a democratic form of government within political science, the debate on democracy in international law had been started only recently. This latter discussion began with the provocative article by Thomas Franck claiming the emergence of a right to democratic governance in international law.

Franck rooted the democratic entitlement in three related sets of emerging norms: self-determination, freedom of expression focusing at maintaining an open marketplace of ideas, and a right to free and open elections.

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