CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS OF THE PERSON AND THE CITIZEN IN THE CONTEXT OF THE LEGITIMACY OF STATE AUTHORITY

Abstract

Legitimacy and constitutionality are closely related, although they represent different characteristics of such a phenomenon as state power. Legitimacy is the perception of government bodies by citizens. Constitutionality is the conformity of acts and actions of state authorities with the Constitution as the Basic Law. Human rights and freedoms are the main criterion of the constitutionality and legitimacy of power and are a kind of standard, a criterion for evaluating the activity of legislative and executive bodies of state power and local self-government, the effectiveness of the existence of this or that political institution. Today, one of the attributes of a legal state is the legislative consolidation of the rights and freedoms of a person and a citizen. The state’s respect for the person and the citizen through respect for the right to freedom causes the citizen to respect the state through respect for its laws. It is the state through the Constitution that is the guarantor of their observance: along with the restrictions that a person is subjected to, the legislation provides for ways to restore limited rights, everyone is guaranteed the right to receive information about the reasons for limiting their right to freedom, the right to apply to the court for restoration of the violated or limited right. In addition, it is necessary to single out constitutionality as a kind of criterion for citizens’ assessment of the political system in general and individual authorities in particular. The main condition for the existence of constitutionality is the reliance of the current government on the constitution and laws of the state. Therefore, constitutionality and legitimacy are two interrelated concepts. Although constitutionality does not always imply the legitimacy of power, legitimacy cannot exist without certain guarantees that can be reflected in legislation.