“Servants of the entire people” as the embodiment of the republican principle in the public service system

This paper systematically examines the constitutional meaning and practical implications of the concept of “service to the people as a whole”, enshrined in Article 7(1) of the Constitution, by analysing the constitutional principle of republicanism in relation to the public service system. The republican principle is a constitutional principle that goes beyond the formal and procedural legitimacy guaranteed by the principles of democracy and the rule of law and takes as its core values the realisation of the common good, the expression of civic virtue and the establishment of a public service ethic. In conjunction with Article 7 of the Constitution, the republican principle defines public officials as responsible servants of the people as a whole, not as tools of a particular faction or group, leading to a deepening of the quality of state management and the maturation of the constitutional order. Thus, the republican principle complements and strengthens democracy and the rule of law through the actualisation of national sovereignty, the orientation towards the common good and the institutionalisation of civic virtues, and serves as the core normative basis for the implementation of the constitutional principle of public servants as “servants of the people”. As a result, the republican principle is not merely an ideological concept, but a concrete and effective constitutional principle through Article 7 of the Constitution, which contributes to the development of the constitutional order of a democratic republic and the realisation of the interests of the people as a whole.