Methods of participation of society in political life. Participation of citizens in political life

Every citizen can influence the political process in his country. This requires such factors as the culture of democracy and the political consciousness of the individual.

Participation of citizens in political life

It is the direct participation of citizens in the political life of the state that is an important basis for the formation of political processes.

Often, civil political life is unstable, in different periods it has different dynamics. This is due to the fact that various segments of the population take part in it.

Such social differentiation gives rise to the activities of various social - political forces, in particular political parties and organizations.

Political process

The political process is a system of political states and events, changes in which occur due to the activity and interaction of individual subjects of political life.

A striking example is the change of political parties and leaders who alternately come to power. According to the scale of action, political processes are divided into two main types: foreign policy and domestic policy.

Domestic political processes can take place both at the national and regional levels.

Political participation

Political participation is the actions of a citizen, the main purpose of which is to gain the opportunity to influence the implementation and adoption of state decisions, as well as the choice of representatives in state institutions of power. This concept characterizes the degree of involvement of citizens in the political process.

In a state of law, political participation is the right of a citizen to elect and be elected to government bodies, the right to associate in public organizations, the right to demonstrations and rallies, the right of access to public services and officials, the right to free circulation in government bodies.

Political culture

Political culture is a concept that consists of three components: versatile Political Views citizen, orientation to the spiritual values of a democratic society, possession by society of the right to political influence.

Political knowledge is a system of knowledge about political ideologies, forms of state, institutions of power, as well as methods for implementing their functions. Political culture cannot exist without certain political knowledge.

Political knowledge generates the next stage of legal culture - spiritual orientation society. Each member of society decides what kind government controlled or political ideology suits his worldview.

A citizen who has a spiritual orientation based on political knowledge can actively and freely participate in the political process.

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

Forms of participation of citizens in political life

Constitution 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 referenda

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 (that is, from the age of 18) can participate in elections and referendums. No discrimination is allowed for:

race;
nationality;
gender;
age;
position in society;
education.

Suffrage 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.

public service

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

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 different forms. For example, citizens can participate in elections, referendums, rallies, apply to the authorities. They can also influence the government through their representatives, that is, political parties.

Society Workbook Grade 9 Kotova Liskova

1)

A citizen can take part in political life by taking part in elections, referendums and working in legislative bodies.

2) Basic principles of suffrage in a democratic society.

Universal suffrage- a right that belongs to all citizens who have reached the age of 18.
Equal suffrage- the right when the voter has only one vote.
Direct elections- the right to elect the President, deputies State Duma.
Secret ballot- when other voters do not know for whom the voter voted.

3) Differences between elections to government bodies and a referendum:

An election is when a candidate or list of candidates for a certain position is selected by vote. A referendum is a form of passing laws or deciding the most important issues of public life by universal suffrage.

4) Read the data of social surveys and answer the questions.

1) What elections do citizens think affect their lives?
Elections to local governments, because people are worried about problems in their city. These are problems household level that they encounter in Everyday life. All these problems are solvable, but it is only necessary to make efforts on the part of self-government.

What elections, according to citizens, affect the life of the country?
Presidential elections, because the president is the head of state, who has more powers than other positions, such as deputies.

What is the difference between citizens' assessment of the impact of elections on their lives and on the life of the country?
Presidential elections affect political system state, and elections to local governments significantly affect the life of the city in which citizens live.

Is it possible to conclude that a significant part of citizens do not see the impact of elections on their lives and the life of the country?
Yes, I agree. If you add up the answers of citizens (I find it difficult to answer, none of them affect), then the vast majority comes out.

2) Guess what explains the opinion of the interviewed citizens.
Politicians during election campaigns promise changes in better side for citizens, but no action.

5) Answer the questions.

1 - It gives people freedom of choice. The people make their own decisions, that is, they influence the formation of the state (participate).

2-3 - underline contrary to the Constitution of the Russian Federation, the abolition or ... of such rights and freedoms.
Citizens of the Russian Federation have the right to participate ... from other circumstances.

4 - This norm means that the equality of citizens, where every citizen of the Russian Federation has the right to participate in a referendum.

5 - According to the Constitution of the Russian Federation, the state does not have the right to influence citizens and force them. Every citizen has the right to decide for himself whether to participate or not, and for which item to vote.

6) What question would you like to address to the state authorities?

I would ask a question about repairing bad roads and raising wages teachers and medical workers.

An example of such a call:
I AM, Full name I permanently reside at: THE ADDRESS, contact the city administration TOWN with a request to repair the asphalt pavement along the street WE WRITE THE STREET. I ask you, dear Administration, to take action. Sincerely, NAME

The political process involves various forms participation of citizens 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 are coordinated, dissatisfied with any actions of the government;
- single actions, notable enough to have political weight;
- participation in political parties and organizations, participation in the government of 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 activity;
- 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, all non-participation in elections;
- ignoring social events, such as subbotniks, rallies and demonstrations, when invited or strongly recommended to come to them;
- not doing something, caused by dissatisfaction with some actions of the government. For example: a small payment provided to an individual, which he considers offensive to 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 prescribed by law.

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

A very responsible political event is the nomination of candidates for elective office. An election campaign is organized to identify them and campaign for them. Candidates may be nominated by public organizations, parties or own initiative applicants. Candidates from political parties, of course, have a real chance of being elected. The principles of democratic politics require that parties and candidates conduct an election campaign in equal conditions. It is not easy to implement this requirement in practice.

The election campaign ends the day before the voting, 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 into the ballot box himself. Special attention given to the counting of votes. To avoid violations and fraud during the opening of the ballot box and the counting of votes, the presence of outside observers is allowed. The urns themselves are sealed.

Electoral votes are counted based on certain rules. The set of such rules is called the electoral system. The two most common electoral systems are the majority system (majority) 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 majority system of an 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 a majoritarian system of relative majority, victory is given to the candidate who receives more votes than each of his rivals individually, even if he was supported by less than half of those who came to the polls.
2) Under a proportional system, each party puts up lists of candidates in 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 government. To prevent this from happening in the legislation of many countries, including Ukraine and Russia, a barrier clause is established, which does not allow those parties that receive less than 4-5% of the votes to get deputy powers.

The next form of political participation is the referendum. A referendum is the vote of the population on a foreign policy issue. In elections, voters determine which of the candidates will represent their interests in legislative assembly or hold an elected post. In a referendum, they themselves decide on a constitutional or legislative issue put to a vote.

At present, the constitutions of many states provide for the possibility or obligation in a number of cases of holding referendums. The initiative to hold it is given to the head of state, parliament, public organizations, people. submitted to a national referendum critical issues political life of the country: the adoption of the constitution and amendments to it, changing the form state structure or forms of government, the adoption of new or the abolition of existing laws, the entry of a country into an international organization, etc. The results of the referendum do not have legal force, but the opinion of the people has tremendous political power and is accepted by the government and the president for execution. For example, when The Supreme Council Russia could not adopt a constitution - the president turned to the people. When preparing for a referendum, constituencies are not created. The decision is considered adopted, for which the majority of citizens who participated in the referendum voted. In order for a referendum to more accurately express the will of the people, it must be preceded by a broad and comprehensive discussion of the issue being put to the vote. A form of political participation of the people in government is also a plebiscite. Like a 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 they live to a particular state. In 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 pursued by him. The demand for a plebiscite may 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 the 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.

Topic 6. Participation of citizens in political life

(paragraph 6)

Elections

Elections - it is the procedure for electing someone by voting.

Citizens of the Russian Federation have the right to participate in the management of state affairs, both directly and through their representatives.

Governance of the state requires high professionalism, so citizens entrust this work to their representatives in the legislature. Citizens have the right to decide who exactly will represent their interests in the process of legislative activity.They make this decision in elections (representative democracy).

Basic principles of electoral law in the Russian Federation:

Universal suffrage -this means that it belongs to all citizens who have reached the age of 18, regardless of their social status, gender, nationality, religion, education, place of residence. An exception is made for persons held in places of deprivation of liberty by a court verdict, as well as persons recognized by a court as incompetent, i.e. mentally incapable mental state fully exercise their rights

Equal suffrageEach voter has only one vote.

Direct elections – President, deputies of the State Duma and legislatures subjects of the Russian Federation are directly elected by citizens. In the practice of other countries, there are multi-stage elections, when citizens elect electors, and then the electors elect the President. The President of the Russian Federation is elected for a term of 6 years, the State Duma - for a term of 5 years

Every citizen, according to the Constitution of the Russian Federation, has the right to be elected to the bodies state power and local governments. An exception is established for those persons who cannot participate in elections. This takes into account the age limit (restriction):

From the age of 21 - to be elected to the State Duma

From the age of 35, as well as residence in the Russian Federation for at least 10 years (residence requirement) - for election as President of the Russian Federation.

There are two main types of electoral systems: majoritarian and proportional.

proportional system determines the rating of political forces, in proportion to which seats in parliament are distributed between these forces. Under such a system, voters do not vote for an individual candidate, but for a party, which, depending on the total number of votes received, distributes seats in parliament according to the party list. For example, the party won 35% of the votes of all those who voted, respectively, in parliament it holds 35% of the seats.

Majoritarian systemassumes that voters do not vote for parties, but for specific candidates. Under such a system, a candidate who has received majority . There are also mixed systems.

Referendum

Citizens take direct part in the management of state affairs at a referendum.

Referendum - This is a popular vote on draft laws and other issues of national importance. For example, the current Constitution of the Russian Federation was adopted at a referendum in 1993. When holding a referendum, the same principles apply as in the election of deputies.

The main difference between a referendum and an election is that a referendum approves or disapproves of a decision, and does not vote for candidates applying for certain positions or parties. Questions submitted to a referendum must be worded in such a way that a clear yes or no answer can be given.

In the Russian Federation, a referendum cannot be held simultaneously with elections, or in a state of emergency or martial law. The referendum is not held in Last year powers of the President of the Russian Federation, the State Duma, as well as during election campaign carried out simultaneously throughout the territory.

Elections and referendums are the most massive form of citizens' participation in political life.

Other forms of citizen participation in political life:

The right to equal access to public service. The public service is professional activity to ensure the execution of the powers of state bodies. In the public service are officials (civil servants) holding positions in central and local authorities, in the judiciary, etc.

According to the Constitution, citizens of the Russian Federation have the right to equal access to public service. This means that every citizen can hold any public office without restrictions depending on race, nationality, gender, social origin, property status, place of residence, attitude to religion, beliefs, membership in public associations. This does not mean that any citizen who wishes can work, for example, in a ministry, regional administration, etc. There is a system of competitions: requirements for professional training, a certain procedure for appointment to public positions.

Russian citizens also have the right to participate inadministration of justice. This right can be exercised by holding positions in the court, with the appropriate education and work experience, as well as by participating in justice as a juror.

- appeal to the authorities- this is the right to apply personally, as well as send collective appeals to state bodies and local governments. It could beindividual treatmentO financial assistance, as well as a complaint, those. the appeal of a citizen with a demand for the restoration of a right violated by the action or inaction of individuals, organizations, state or self-government bodies. It could be statement , i.e. an appeal of a citizen with a request to exercise his right (for example, to receive a pension). It could also be sentence , i.e. this type of appeal, which is not associated with a violation of the rights of citizens, but which raises the question of improving the activities of a state body.

The laws of the Russian Federation establish deadlines for resolving issues raised in citizens' appeals.

- participation in meetings, rallies and demonstrationsis also one of the ways to influence the authorities. Citizens can gather to discuss any issues of common interest to them. A mass meeting about topical issues is called rallies . They often gather at rallies to protest against government policy, the actions of any political forces. The law allows only such gatherings that are peaceful and do not threaten violent actions against other citizens.

V different countries there is either a notification or permissive procedure for holding rallies and demonstrations, strikes. In the Russian Federation, there is a permissive procedure, i.e. the organizers of the protest rally send an application to the local authority in advance, which gives permission to hold this rally. In case of violation of this procedure, the police have the right to use force against the participants of the rally using special means(rubber batons, water cannons, tear gases).

freedom of speech

There is a right to freedom of speech in the Russian Federation, for the real exercise of this right publicity is necessary: people should be able to receive truthful and full information about the work of the authorities, about the situation in the country, in the international arena. This requires such a condition as the abolition of censorship. Censorship - This is a special viewing of newspapers and magazines, literary works, movies, texts of radio programs and TV programs intended for release. The censor could prohibit access to any information. Now there is no censorship. But freedom of speech and the press is not absolute. The law prohibits: propaganda of war and violence, inciting racial, national or religious hatred, slander, dissemination of false information. Thus, the use of freedom of speech imposes a special responsibility.