Citizens' participation in political life is brief. Forms of citizen participation in politics

The life of its citizens largely depends on what policy the state pursues, so they are interested in participating in it, expressing their opinion. The right to take part in political life is a sign of a developed society, which takes care that all its members can freely pursue their interests. Let's figure out what it includes and how it manifests itself.

Forms of citizen participation in political life

The Constitution of the Russian Federation enshrines the right of all citizens of our country to participate in political life. They can do this both independently and through their representatives. Let's consider these situations.

• elections and referendums

These are forms of participation, when each person can directly take part in public affairs, contribute to the solution of issues that are important for the whole country.

All adult capable citizens (i.e. over 18 years of age) can participate in elections and referendums. Discrimination is not allowed on the basis of:

• race;
• nationality;
• floor;
• age;
• position in society;
• education.

The right to vote is not only universal, but also equal and secret, that is, one voter can cast only one vote, and do it secretly from other people.

• civil service

People holding positions in central and local government can directly exercise power, thereby influencing the life and functioning of society.

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• appeal

Citizens wishing to draw the attention of the authorities to the problems of concern to them can personally or collectively apply to the authorities with applications that they are obliged to consider within a certain time frame.

• political parties

Freedom of speech allows citizens to create parties, develop their own programs for solving certain issues and the structure of society in general. If such parties find the support of society, that is, those groups of the population (for example, pensioners, students, etc.), then they can nominate themselves in elections.

• rallies

Freedom of assembly and meeting allows people to organize mass protests that express public protest or a call for something. But there are also limitations. For example, extremist, highly apolitical (against the government) statements that can disrupt public order are prohibited.

What have we learned?

The participation of citizens in political life is necessary so that each person can express their opinion, draw the attention of the state to the most pressing problems, and influence the process of making state decisions. It can be implemented in various forms. For example, citizens can participate in elections, referendums, rallies, and apply to authorities. They can also influence the government through their representatives, that is, political parties.

Everyone has probably already realized that the world is sliding into a zone of "global turbulence". This is the time when the future of countries and humanity as a whole is not determined, and therefore depends on the position of each individual person. How can people express their opinion? Here it should be remembered that this is done through the participation of a citizen in Only not everyone in our country and in other states has the necessary minimum of information on this issue. We are not particularly interested in such abstract topics when everything is stable. And how the crisis looms on the horizon, we are lost in conjecture, trying to figure out exactly how we can influence it. Should one rely only on the rulers? Or is it possible to join the general work to overcome it ourselves? Let's take a look at our rights and responsibilities.

What will it be about?

It is proposed to consider the expression "participation of a citizen in political life", defining its semantic load. It has two interrelated concepts. They cannot exist separately and cover the described process comprehensively. Let us specifically highlight two terms: "citizen" and "politics". The first describes a person who has certain rights. The second is the process of their implementation in the field of government. It turns out that we are investigating a system that allows each person to influence events in their country according to their own convictions. Is this impossible? However, one should first study the laws, then only draw conclusions.

Your vote is decisive

We will try to understand where the levers are legislatively laid down that allow each person to influence the general situation. Let's start with the fact that the participation of a citizen in political life is a rather “bureaucratic” process. It is laid out on the shelves in the constitution of any. In addition, there are also a number of laws and other acts detailing this process. Yes, you yourself, most likely, have already taken part in it, just did not qualify it as the participation of a citizen in political life. If you have already reached the age of majority, then went to vote (or had such an opportunity). You were provided with information about various parties wishing to gain power, explained, asked questions, and so on. Maybe you did not pay any attention to these events, but a citizen participates in the political life of his state in precisely this form (but not only). Through the system of elections, his right to take part in governing the country is realized.

Let's go to practice

Citizen participation in politics is not limited to plebiscites. After all, voting is already the result of a rather long process. It is preceded by a political struggle. Namely, those parties that want to guide the development of the country and society, try to attract as many citizens as possible to their side. To do this, they clarify their views and goals. They are trying to involve citizens in this work as much as possible so that they exercise their right to freedom of opinion. At this time, any person can choose the force that most fully reflects his own position. Of course, some people think it's best to stand up for your beliefs alone. However, in a democratic society, a more rational mechanism has been invented, based on the long-standing principle: "Together we are strength!" Therefore, political parties are formed. They represent the aspirations and hopes of certain groups and segments of the population.

About political parties

Now we come to the other side of the citizen's participation in government. Anyone can become a member of a political force that matches their beliefs. And when he turns twenty-one, to be elected to one or another And this is a completely different level of participation in political life. Working in a self-government body allows you to directly influence decision-making. After all, laws are passed in them. It should be said here that a deputy of any level does not vote “according to his own understanding”. He is the spokesman for the opinions of his constituents. This means that when voting, he must proceed from the interests of the latter. This is the second level, so to speak, of citizens to participate in the first - participation in the choice of political force, the second - it acts in his interests.

Is it that simple?

Not really. The fact is that the process of governing the country is rather complicated. You can, of course, "cut with a sword" and declare the most popular ideas among the people. And when it comes to their implementation in practice, then invariably deputies and parties run into obstacles and barriers. On the one hand, they have an opposition, a political force that expresses the interests of other groups of the population, sometimes of a confrontational nature. It is necessary to negotiate with them, find a consensus. But there is also legislation, that is, the adopted "rules of the game." It is impossible to jump over them. For example, many are unhappy with high utility rates. To reduce these, many laws need to be changed, the first of which will be the current year's budget. And besides him, there are also other acts of a general federal and local character. The work is difficult and long.

Should I become a deputy?

Of course, a person with an active civic position wants to more closely influence the life of society. Many seek to be elected to one body or another. Is it just everyone who can handle this responsibility? The person on whom the well-being of the country and the entire population depends must have a large stock of knowledge. He also needs experience, the ability to analyze facts, to perceive information deeply and voluminously. Of course, a large number of specialists are working on any legislative act. Ultimately, the one who voted is responsible for its implementation. Therefore, it is necessary that these people be comprehensively educated, wise, far-sighted. So it turns out that a citizen participates in politics when he carefully looks at who he is going to vote for.

Participation in peaceful assemblies

With the officialdom sorted out. But the political life does not end there. After all, besides elections, there are other forms of the people expressing their opinion. Thus, the Constitution guarantees the right to freedom of peaceful assembly. This means that people can express their opinion through rallies, demonstrations or other actions held in public places. The exercise of this right is governed by its own laws, which describe the methodology for organizing such events. That is, they cannot be spontaneous. Would you like to celebrate? You are welcome to the local government with a statement indicating the goals, organizers and the approximate number of participants. This is not discrimination at all. Local authorities are responsible for the lives of citizens. She is obliged to ensure the safety of order during the action. There are exceptions though. One person can hold a picket without approval.

About responsibility

This is the most important question on the one hand and the least popular question on the other.

Our people love to look for someone to blame. However, a citizen in politics has not only rights, but also obligations. He is required to exercise his rights thoughtfully and carefully. Otherwise, we vote for the one who will be "prompted", and then we grab our heads from what is happening in the country. And more often we skip elections or rallies altogether. Each has his own affairs, more important from his point of view, there are. We remember that we are also citizens, and not just people, when we need something from the authorities. And also - when prices rise or other "trouble" develops before our eyes. But you had the right to influence the formation of this very power! Did they use it? Now ask yourself why the "wrong" people run the country.

The political process involves various forms of citizen participation in the political life of society.

Active forms of participation:

• - participation in elected bodies, such as presidential elections;
• - mass actions, such as rallies, demonstrations, strikes, in which the masses, dissatisfied with any actions of the government, are coordinated;
• - single actions, noticeable enough to have political weight;
• - participation in political parties and organizations, participation in governing the country, in the adoption of laws;
• - participation of citizens in surveys;
• - appeals and complaints to higher structures of individuals or groups of citizens;
• - lobbying activities;
• - network participation - blogs, electronic newspapers, and other Internet resources.

Passive forms of participation:

• - social apathy as a factor of citizens' distrust of the government and, accordingly, any non-participation in elections;
• - ignoring social events, such as subbotniks, rallies and demonstrations, when invited or strongly recommended to come to them;
• - failure to do something, caused by dissatisfaction with certain actions of the government. For example: a small payment provided to an individual, which he considers offensive for himself and does not go to receive it, they say, no thanks.

The basis of the form of participation of the population in the political life of society is the participation of the majority of citizens in elections, which are held regularly, after a certain time stipulated by law.

In democratic countries, elections are held on the basis of common and equal suffrage. For the conduct of elections, constituencies are created so that each deputy is elected by an equal number of residents or voters. And only then is the real equality of suffrage ensured.

A very important political event is the nomination of candidates for elective office. To identify them and campaign for them, an election campaign is organized. Candidates can be nominated by public organizations, parties or on their own initiative. Of course, candidates from political parties have real chances to be elected. The principles of democratic politics require parties and candidates to campaign on an equal footing. This requirement is not easy to implement in practice.

The pre-election campaign ends the day before the vote, the procedure for which is strictly regulated by law. It must be secret. The voter alone in the booth fills out the ballot and must put it in the ballot box himself. Particular attention is paid to the counting of votes. To avoid violations and fraud when opening the ballot box and counting votes, the presence of outside observers is allowed. The urns themselves are sealed.

Votes are counted according to certain rules. The collection of such rules is called an electoral system. The most common are two electoral systems: the majority system (majoritarian) and the proportional representation system.

• 1) Under the majoritarian system, the candidate who receives the majority of votes is considered elected, and it has two varieties: an absolute majority and a relative majority. Under the majoritarian system of absolute majority, the candidate wins, for whom 50% of the voters who took part in the elections voted. If the winner is not identified, a second round of elections is held, in which the two candidates who received the largest number of votes in the first round participate. Under the majoritarian system of the relative majority, victory goes to the candidate with more votes than each of his rivals individually, even if he was supported by less than half of those who came to the polling stations.
• 2) Under the proportional system, each party nominates lists of candidates for elections. In accordance with them and the number of votes cast for a given party, the number of deputies is determined. This system allows even small parties to have their representatives in the government. To prevent this from happening in the legislation of many countries, including Ukraine and Russia, a protective clause is established, which does not give the opportunity to receive parliamentary powers to those parties that received less than 4-5% of the vote.

The next form of political participation is a referendum. A referendum is a vote of the population on a foreign policy issue. In elections, voters determine which of the candidates will represent their interests in the legislature or will take an elective office. At a referendum, they themselves make decisions on a constitutional or legislative issue put to vote.

Currently, the constitutions of many states provide for the possibility or mandatory in some cases of referendums. The initiative for its implementation is given to the head of state, parliament, public organizations, and the people. The most important issues of the country's political life are submitted to a national referendum: the adoption of the constitution and amendments to it, the change in the form of state structure or the form of government, the adoption of new or abolition of existing laws, the country's entry into an international organization, etc. The results of the referendum have no legal force, but the opinion of the people has enormous political power and is accepted by the government and the president for execution. For example, when the Supreme Council of Russia was unable to adopt a constitution, the president turned to the people. In preparation for the referendum, electoral districts are not created. The decision for which the majority of the citizens who participated in the referendum voted is considered adopted. In order for the referendum to more accurately express the will of the people, it should be preceded by a broad and comprehensive discussion of the issue put to the vote. The form of political participation of the people in government is also a plebiscite. Like the referendum, it is designed to determine the opinion of voters by voting. In the sphere of interstate relations, a plebiscite is used to poll the population about the belonging of the territory in which it lives to this or that state. In the internal political life, the plebiscite acts as one of the types of referendum on the issue of confidence in the head of state and the policy he implements. The demand for a plebiscite can come not only from the people dissatisfied with the political leadership, but also from the leadership itself. Thus, a plebiscite is a direct expression of the will of the people. But history shows that people can be deceived and with the help of them people can come to power, who then betray their interests. Depending on the level of economic and political culture, the mentality of the people of a given state, the political participation of the people in the life of society can lead either to the stability of political life or, conversely, to political conflicts and instability of the political system.

Citizen - is a person belonging to the permanent population of a given state, enjoying its protection and endowed with a set of rights and obligations.

Between the citizen and the state are established civil relationsand Ibased on the legal capacity and legal capacity of a citizen

- Legal capacity- the ability to have civil rights and bear certain responsibilities.

- Legal capacity- the ability to acquire and exercise civil rights. Up to 18 years of age, a person has incomplete (partial) legal capacity. From the age of 18, full implementation of legal capacity begins.

Every citizen has rights:

Political,

Civil,

Social,

Economic

Cultural.

The state guarantees the observance of the rights and freedoms of the individual, creates conditions for their real implementation.

Along with the rights, every citizen has his own duties

He must:

Comply with laws and regulations established by the state,

Do not violate the interests of subjects of law and laws,

Do not harm the health of other people, the natural environment,

Stand up for the protection of society and the state

In its turn, the state undertakesto be responsible to the citizen in the person of their bodies and officials, to protect the rights and freedoms of citizens on the territory of the state and outside it.

Types of personal participation in politics:

- completely unconscious- ex. the behavior of a person in a crowd;

- semi-conscious- political conformism - understanding the meaning of your role with an unconditional

submission to the requirements of one's social environment, even in cases of disagreement with it;

- conscious participation- the ability to change your role and your position in accordance with your

consciousness and will.

Motives and factors of participation in politics:

Striving to protect the interests of other citizens;

Ensuring justice for all;

Contribute to solving problems of the state and society;

Selfish goals (personal: prestige, career, etc.);

Unconscious motives.

Reasons for passivity or non-participation in politics:

Lack of remuneration (no benefits, no cost recovery, etc.);

Poor theoretical training (lack of knowledge of legislation, theory of state and law);

Widespread opinion: "One is not a warrior in the field", "What can I do?" etc.;

Factors affecting the level of political activity:

The state of the country's economy (economic growth leads to a decline in political activity);

The type of political regime in the country;

The existing ideology in the country;

The level of culture of the society and the personality itself;

Personal views, beliefs and values \u200b\u200bof a person; Law "On Citizenship of the Russian Federation" (extract)

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1. The social sphere of society. Social politics.

Social sphere - a set of social connection, social interaction and social relations between people.

Social connection- facts that determine joint activity in certain conditions.

Social interaction- interaction of people in the process of communication.

Social relationships- establishing a connection between people, social groups.

Social groupit can be large and small in number, in the nature of the relationship - primary and secondary, in the way of organization - formal and informal, in the number of values \u200b\u200b- one-sided and multilateral.

Social norms- general rules for regulating relations between people in society. Among them are:

- customs(traditions, rituals) - historically established patterns and rules of behavior;

- legal regulations- the norms enshrined in laws issued by the state, which clearly describe the boundaries of behavior and punishment;

- moral standards- spiritual and moral values;

- political norms- norms governing the relationship between personality and power, between social groups;

- religious norms- moral norms supported by the consciousness of believers and religious faith;

- aesthetic norms- ideas about the beautiful and the ugly;

- rules of etiquette- samples of correct behavior and communication;

Social politics- This is the regulation by the state of the socio-economic conditions of society and concern for the well-being of all its citizens.

Subjects of social policy:

The state

Civil society

Main directions of social policy:

Providing able-bodied citizens with opportunities for work or business;

Providing social guarantees for disabled, low-income and unemployed strata of the population (state pensions and social benefits)

State support for family, motherhood, childhood

Labor and health protection

Establishment of a guaranteed minimum wage

Improving the demographic situation in the country

Development of social structure.

The Constitution of the Russian Federation states: "The Russian Federation is a social state, the policy of which is aimed at creating conditions that ensure a dignified life and free human development."

In Russia social reform program.

The main tasksproclaimed:

Improving the material situation and living conditions of people;

Ensuring effective employment of the population;

Realization of the rights of citizens in the field of labor, social protection, education, health protection, culture;

Improving the demographic situation in the country; - development of social infrastructure.

Law "On State Social Assistance" (extract)

Forms of citizen participation in politics

The life system of mankind is arranged in such a way that there is always power that influences and controls a certain mass of people: whether it be power in a separate country, in a family, or, say, in a criminal group. But even in spite of the fact that the influence of power is seen as an indisputable and self-sufficient factor, the influence of the community on power cannot be denied. Of course, the strength of this backward influence depends, for the most part, on the regime, the political regime, if we are talking about it on the scale of the country or state.

For example, in a democratic form of government, theoretically, citizens are given a great opportunity to influence the government. The political participation envisaged for a democratic society is universal, equal and proactive. Every individual citizen has the right to participate in the life of the country, to protect his interests, to the opportunity to express his dissatisfaction with any factors, theoretically to independently choose his “power”, or simply to show interest in politics as an area of \u200b\u200baccessible activity. Political participation in a democratic society is free and serves as a means for citizens to express a sense of duty to the country, a means to achieve their goals, to realize the need for self-expression. Such participation is ensured by the state in terms of providing various legal norms and procedures and evenly distributing participation resources, such as money, access to the media, education, a “transparent” vision of the implementation of, in fact, the authorities, and so on. Also, a democratic society allows, within certain limits, such expression of citizens' protest as rallies, demonstrations, strikes, petitions. Such events serve both as a tool for political education of citizens, and as proof, in fact, that the state is truly democratic and every citizen has the right to self-expression.

Under a totalitarian system, everything and everything is under the full control of state bodies. And the government seeks to mobilize the population into political participation, creating the appearance of general politicization, which, naturally, practically does not take into account the opinion of citizens. Under this regime, the influence of the community on the authorities is minimally limited, and often just nominal. Accordingly, the political participation of citizens is determined purely by the needs of the authorities, and is most of all a means of controlling the subordinate masses. Of course, such a regime, although it is tough and suppresses dissenting opinions in every possible way, has the best chances for such a powerful political participation of disaffected and unqualified citizens like riots and revolutions. And, more than democratic, it has the ability to violently change its regime policy to the opposite. A totalitarian regime is inherent, usually, in underdeveloped countries, as it is more a relic of the past than an adequate form of relations between people and power. The exception is, for example, Japan, as an example of the Asian type of government, which is a highly developed culture and, it seems, should be a completely democratic society with all the signs of free political participation of citizens. However, centuries-old traditions have played their role and most of the citizens of this country live quietly under a totalitarian regime, which has become so familiar that it seems practically democratic and does not cause significant complaints from the population itself.

In principle, democracy is rightfully a sign of a progressive society and, in essence, is more stable than totalitarianism in terms of the stability of one-time power. Suppressed discontent is always dangerous, and a friend is always easier to control than an enemy. Therefore, in a democratic society, the government tries to maintain the image of a friendly entity, providing citizens with preferably evenly distributed livelihoods, opportunities for self-realization and self-development, freedom of expression in any field of activity and expressing concern for health and attention to problems. This ensures maximum consideration of the interests of citizens, helps to overcome distrust of the authorities and ensures the political participation of a large number of citizens in the life of society. This, in turn, expands the intellectual potential for decision-making, which contributes to the optimization of the structure's work, increases its efficiency and the stability of the political system. Citizen participation in politics also ensures effective oversight of officials and prevents abuse of power.

The most effective factor in stimulating citizens to political participation is socio-economic status, primarily determined by the level of education, profession and income. Undoubtedly, a high level of material comfort is decisive in terms of a favorable attitude towards the political system. Accordingly, the lower the social position, the more likely a negative attitude towards the system becomes.

Along with this, factors such as gender and age also have an impact. For example, it is well known that the activity of a citizen increases towards the middle of his life, and then declines again. Women are less inclined to political participation, which, however, is due to the structure of the traditional order. As you know, in principle, the patriarchal system is more developed in the world and there are certain stereotypes and ideas about the social role of women, which sometimes do not take into account the changes associated with the progress of society, despite a significant increase in educational level. In addition, most often women, especially those with low living standards, simply do not have time to participate in politics. The traditional definition of a man as a leader, and a woman as a wife and mother, forces women to devote most of their lives not to their own interests, but to the interests of family and children, practically depriving them of revealing their personal potential.

This, however, is a bit of a digression. In addition to all of the above, motivation of a citizen to participate in the country's activities also plays an important role. The most common motives are:

The motive of interest and attractiveness of politics as a field of activity;

The motive is cognitive, where the political system acts as a means for cognizing the world around and, also, taking into account the complexity of this system for understanding, as an increase in one's own status in the eyes of oneself and others;

The motive of power, the desire to rule other people;

The motive is monetary, since political activity is a highly paid activity;

The motive is traditional, when the policy is adopted in the circle of family or friends;

The motive is ideological, when the system of life values \u200b\u200bcoincides with the ideological values \u200b\u200bof the political system;

The motives are false, but they form the necessary reaction among the masses, the so-called propaganda.

Different motives encourage different options for political participation. In any political system, with the dominant of one, there are various signs and the opposite, regardless of the political system.

Usually, among these options, two main types are distinguished: autonomous and mobilization participation.

Autonomous participation is a free voluntary activity of an individual, caused by his desire to participate in the political life of the country, pursuing personal and group interests.

On the contrary, mobilization participation is compulsory. It is stimulated by factors such as fear, compulsion, tradition. As a rule, this type of participation is the initiative of the ruling group and is aimed at supporting its political system, at demonstrating its noble goals and positive attitude towards the people. Naturally, this kind of participation in no way provides for the expression of the personal opinion of an individual or a group, however, it often creates a false, but necessary for the authorities, idea of \u200b\u200bthe situation in the country.

It is also customary to distinguish active and passive forms of citizen participation in politics, each of which can be attributed to acceptable or unacceptable in terms of morality or law. There are several divisions in terms of active forms of participation.

Participation in elected bodies, such as the election of the president;

Mass actions, such as rallies, demonstrations, strikes, in which the masses are coordinated, dissatisfied with any government action, such as, for example, the ongoing strikes of workers at the Continental plant in Paris, which demand a reconsideration of the decision to close a plant located in the suburbs of the French capital ;

Solitary actions, but notable enough to carry political weight. For example, an Iraqi journalist who threw a shoe at George W. Bush expressed his political participation in an interesting way, expressing his extraordinary opinion about America's policy towards his country;

Participation in political parties and organizations, participation in the government of the country, in the adoption of laws;

Participation of citizens in surveys that take into account the opinion of citizens and, in theory, are considered in the context of any changes;

Appeals and complaints to higher structures of individuals or groups of citizens;

Lobbying activity is the political promotion of an object, be it a law or a deputy, using either personal or monetary interest, or if it is impossible to refuse the offer. In the context of this activity, both legal and illegal, such as bribery, methods of achieving goals can be considered;

Networked participation is no longer a very new kind of political participation. Numerous blogs, electronic newspapers, and other Internet resources. In particular, from personal experience, there was a kind of political participation on one of the sites, in the process of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, while at the government level, the lower-level masses were written negatively towards the "enemy", on this resource people with might and main discussed this topic, that with the one that on the other hand, and at the same time the loudest calls for friendship between peoples and the independence of interethnic relations from government strife were heard.

If we talk about passive forms of participation, then it is worth noting here:

Social apathy as a factor of citizens' distrust of the government and, accordingly, any non-participation in elections;

Ignoring social events, such as subbotniks, rallies and demonstrations, when invited or insistently recommended to come to them;

Failure to do something, caused by dissatisfaction with some actions of the government. For example, a small payment provided to an individual, which he considers offensive for himself and does not go to receive it, they say, thank you, no need.

In conclusion, I would like to add once again that with the development of society, the importance of citizens' participation in the life of the community increases. This is evidenced by the funds that political movements, parties, states allocate to sponsor the forms of citizens' participation in politics (elections, demonstrations, protest actions) necessary for their purposes. The more democratic society becomes, the more the role of the value of society in its life increases. And a correct understanding of this meaning allows the state to make society a necessary and obedient lever for its activities, and in return allows a society that is aware of its importance to receive the greatest benefit and the best result from the government.

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