Opinion | Powerful governments and independent courts are prerequisites for a healthy democracy
Summary
The article discusses the essential roles of independent judiciary and powerful government in sustaining a healthy democracy through constitutional balance, institutional restraint, and public trust.
Key Points
- The judiciary's strength in democracy lies in public trust, constitutional decorum, and institutional restraint, not in power or public mandate.
- Democracy depends heavily on unwritten norms like government compliance to court decisions and the judiciary's impartiality.
- Populist legitimacy and pressure from social media challenge the delicate balance between government power and judicial independence.
- An obedient judiciary risks becoming a tool of the executive, thereby undermining democracy's moral foundations and constitutional limits.
