Search

It has long been known that democracies rely on written laws and constitutions. A democracy can’t survive without a democratic constitution. But democracies rely not just onwritten constitutions alone but also upon unwritten rules --or democratic norms. Norms matter at the level of politicians and how they interact with each other and at the level of every-day politics of citizens. Two of the most significant norms for the functioning of democracy have been the norm of mutual toleration (“gegenseitige Achtung”) and forbearance (“Zurückhaltung”). Politicians, if they follow the written law, can still assault democracy by violating democratic norms.