Democracy and Legitimacy: Comparing South Africa, Turkey, and Poland

This article presents three very diverse countries. The aim of the comparison is to illustrate that, differences notwithstanding, there are similarities in which democratic legitimacy may be maintained, undermined, or restored. Mapping the routes South Africa, Turkey, and Poland took in their respective journeys to democracy, the analyses reveal the multiple and varied challenges their democratic projects have faced since then. What becomes evident is that regardless of the geographic and cultural settings, democracy is never consolidated once and for all but has its ups and downs and may even die, with all three possible scenarios related closely to changing political, economic, and social circumstances both domestically and globally.