Increasingly, demonstrations and new channels of political participation are against authoritarian ways of exercising power; against any form of access barrier to political decisions and in favour of a more inclusive power, open to participation, balanced, distributed, lateral and accessible to the community as a whole. Leadership conditions to exercise one or other type of power are clearly different.
In this context, it is likely that the levels of political representation closest to citizens, such as city government, will gain relevance and become strategic in the task of dissolving the disenchantment with politics and politicians felt by citizens around the world.
Governments may be tempted – if not compelled – to decentralize some decisions, currently concentrated at the level of national governments, by strengthening decision-making of state or municipal government levels, not to cut costs as has been the case in the recent past, but as a way to gain political legitimacy.
Bringing the decision-making process closer to citizens, wherever they are, has the potential to commit them to the best of politics: the ability to build consensus and make collective decisions respecting and protecting minorities.
A 21stcentury model of political representation will undoubtedly be determined by the democratic imperative to renew the commitment with people and its political participation through practical and concrete solutions for daily problems that concern to them the most.
