IDENTIDADES 1 ENGLISH IDENTIDADES 6 ENGLISH | Page 17

feel they are participating in defining the
future, which allows for taking political
debate beyond ideologies. This model
has to do with our ability to be citizens
and does not measure our capacity for
epic behavior. That’s how we begin
with
groups
espousing
diverse
ideologies. Deliberative democracy does
not deny the past; it only fine-tunes
democratic instruments, imbuing them
with new qualities and elements. It
opens up further to the citizenry, but
does
not
contradict
the
basic

fundamentals of liberal democracy: the
separation of powers, respect for basic
freedoms, periodical elections for
leaders, etc. There is no contradiction,
but rather simply a strengthening of
democratic debate. There is nothing
better than to employ deliberative
democracy for a debate about our
constitution. The key lies in calling for
the citizenry to participate in defining it,
while taking into account what experts
have to say about it, of course.

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