Democratic legitimacy is not a free-for-all; on the contrary, it is the framework for a government that is subject to oversight and accountable. The ballot box grants authority, but it does not produce morality.
There is a distinction in political literature that is often overlooked:
Legitimacy and limitlessness are not the same thing.
Being elected provides a government with a legal basis.
But this does not make every action of that administration beyond question.
On the contrary.
The fundamental premise of democratic systems is this:
As authority increases, oversight must also increase.
However, there is a mindset that has become increasingly evident in Turkey in recent years:
The will expressed at the ballot box,
an implicit acknowledgment that it goes beyond social and moral boundaries.
Yet history tells us exactly the opposite.
In political history, the greatest misconception arising from being elected is this:
“The people elected me, so what I’ve done is beyond question.”
This approach is not unique to the present day.
From Latin America to Eastern Europe,
democratically elected governments in many countries,
There are examples of cases where, over time, they began to see themselves as beyond control.
The result, however, remains the same:
Corporate wear and tear.
Loss of public trust.
And the erosion of political legitimacy.
A similar shift is also evident in Turkey under various headings.
Those who exercise public authority,
criticism as an “attack,”,
A language is emerging that frames questioning as “betrayal.”.
The most dangerous consequence of this language, however, is this:
The line between right and wrong,
begins to be determined not by moral standards, but by political affiliations.
Yet there is a limit to democratic legitimacy.
And that is not a boundary.
That line is the conscience of society.
Because the law determines whether an action is legal or not.
But society determines whether that action is legitimate.
When the gap between these two areas widens,
even if the system appears to be working technically…
it begins to crumble from within.
The real issue that needs to be discussed today is this:
To be chosen,
Does it give one the right to engage in behavior that society would not accept?
The answer to this question is theoretically clear:
No, no, no.
But in practice, the answer given is,
is gradually losing that clarity.
Because power, when unchecked,
begins to see himself as a barrier.
And at this point, politics ceases to be about representation;
turns into a claim.
Yet representation is temporary.
Responsibility, however, is ongoing.
That is why the real issue in democracies is,
It's not about who was elected;
it is how the elected officials behave.
Because the ballot box is a starting point.
But the continuation of legitimacy,
It must be reproduced every day.
Epilogue:
To be chosen,
does not give one the right to rise above society.
On the contrary.
It requires one to walk more carefully in public.
Because the ballot box can be the source of power.
But that's not the limit.
And every power that loses its boundaries,
sooner or later…
it undermines its own legitimacy.