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Law” were developed. These concepts share the same objective, that
is, to protect the rights and liberties of the people and to limit the
power of the state.

At present, Rule of Law is a principle that is significant for
democracy in at least three dimensions.

The first dimension is the people’s use of sovereignty. In
democracy, people are owners of sovereignty equally under the law.
However, if each individual uses his/her power and claims his/her own
rights without respecting laws or the rights of others, or if people
depend on majority vote and ignore rules, there may be chaos in the
society.

The second dimension is the enactment of laws. That is, the
enactment of laws must be in accordance with Rule of Law. The law
must respect the rights and liberties of the people. The use of state
power must be checked to ensure transparency. If the law is arbitrary
and does not apply to everyone, respect for the law will decay and this
important pillar of democracy will have no meaning. Besides, it also
contradicts the principle of governance in democracy.

The third dimension is the use of power. In a democracy, it is
important that government officials and organizations that wield state
power must not use that power arbitrarily to violate the rights and
liberties of the people. If there is arbitrary use of power, the system of
governance cannot be called democracy. At minimum, Rule of Law
requires the separation of powers. Besides, the use of power by
government officials must be subject to the law. This is among the
important principles of democracy.

Therefore, it can be said that Rule of Law is a pillar of
democracy. If the individuals and organizations exercising state power
are under the law, and the people, who are the owners of sovereignty,
obey the law, the democratic society will be in order and can develop.

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