Democracia suicidária: ação política e contestação constitucional

André Luiz Perovano; André Peixoto de  Souza

doi:10.23925/ddem.v.1.n.13.68658

Authors

André Luiz Perovano Universidade federal do Paraná - UFPR - Curitiba, PR https://orcid.org/0009-0004-9586-2144
André Peixoto de Souza Universidade federal do Paraná - UFPR - Curitiba, PR https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2256-6833

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.23925/ddem.v.1.n.13.68658

Keywords:

Democracy, Constitution, Democratic constitutionalism, Contestation, Political Action

Abstract

This paper addresses the inherent tension between democracy and constitutionalism, endorsing the complexity and paradox of this relationship. The central idea is that of a "suicidal democracy," which explores how popular political action, by straining the limits imposed by constitutionalism, can lead to constitutional contestation and, ultimately, to drastic changes in the legal-political arrangement. The notion of democratic constitutionalism is discussed, one that remains continuous through the constant reinvention of rights, emphasizing that constituent power is a disruptive force that challenges constituted power. Throughout the text, the dialectical and conflicting nature of the relationship between popular will and the formal structure of the Constitution is underscored, proposing that political action, even when unmediated, is central to democratic vitality. In this regard, the research develops through a qualitative focus and a critical-propositional approach, grounded in progressive constitutional literature and radical political theory. The article concludes that, despite the apparent stability of constitutionalism, democracy continues to assert itself through actions that question, transform, and antagonistically threaten established constitutional norms.

Author Biographies

André Luiz Perovano, Universidade federal do Paraná - UFPR - Curitiba, PR

Undergraduate student at the Faculty of Law of the Federal University of Paraná (UFPR). Associate Researcher at the Center for Constitutional Studies (CCONS-UFPR). Full Member of the Center for Studies in Philosophy and Theory of Law (NEFIT-UFPR).

André Peixoto de Souza, Universidade federal do Paraná - UFPR - Curitiba, PR

PhD in State Law from the Federal University of Paraná (UFPR) and in Philosophy, History and Education from the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP). Master in Law from UFPR.

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