Author:

Alexandre de Moraes

Introduction:

This study focuses on the difficulties of political representation as a pillar of Democracy. From a brief analysis of democratic notions and political representation, it will be found that the crisis of popular representation and the very organization and functioning of political parties – which have failed to evolve in order to serve as effective instruments for the effective representation of the people’s interests in Parliament – ​​has encouraged the emergence and strengthening of new paths of popular representation in the State’s decision-making process. Thus, in parallel with the return of old institutions of semi-direct democracy, state political life is increasingly seeing the participation of civil society itself in political decision-making, sometimes in an organized way (associations, pressure groups, right of petition), sometimes in a disorganized and ephemeral way, in the exercise of the right of assembly and demonstration (marches in defense of a specific object).
From a merely representative democracy we have moved to participatory democracy, where alongside the traditional political parties, we find civil society itself attempting to realize the sovereign will of the people in the manifestations of the State. In this study, brief considerations will be made on this complex issue, in order to, starting from the pointing out of some existing problems, think about a new model for improving political representation in the State, and, in particular, for bringing political parties closer to the people.