DEMOCRACY UNDER PRESSURE: THE CRISIS OF DEMOCRATIC LEGITIMACY IN PLURALIST SOCIETIES

Abstract

The article analyzes the erosion of democratic legitimacy in contemporary pluralistic societies, aiming to understand the factors that undermine institutional stability and citizens’ trust in liberal democracies. The research adopts a theoretical-deductive methodology, based on a critical review of specialized literature in the fields of political philosophy, legal theory, and political science, with emphasis on authors such as John Rawls, Chantal Mouffe, Nancy Fraser, and Thomas Piketty. The study demonstrates that the foundations of liberal democracy, although essential, are insufficient to address the challenges posed by moral diversity and structural inequality. The analysis shows that democratic legitimacy cannot rely solely on formal procedures, requiring institutional reforms that promote substantive inclusion, redistribution of opportunities, and the strengthening of political dialogue. It concludes that the crisis of legitimacy results from a combination of economic power concentration, political exclusion of marginalized groups, representational crisis, ideological radicalization, and disinformation—factors that weaken public debate and civic participation. The study reaffirms the dynamic nature of democracy and the need to reconstruct its normative and operational foundations in order to enable a more pluralistic, equitable, and representative model of governance.