Democracy-Ochlocraсy-Technocracy: in Search of Balance

In this article, the author pays his attention to the ambiguity of such a political and legal phenomenon as "democracy" and the diversity of its forms. First of all, the sources of the democratic model formation are examined, particularly the ancient Greek version, when democracy was not universal. In Ancient Athens, only full citizens, and only men, were allowed to exercise the political power. But even so, the degeneration of democracy into ochlocracy, the power of the crowd, is noted. The author examines the term "ochlocracy" and notes that modern democratic processes clearly gravitate towards this type of democracy, which devalues in many ways the democratic gains of previous generations. It means that a controlled and not always conscious crowd cannot be a source of power, as required by the provisions of constitutional acts. At the same time, in parallel with ochlocracy, the so-called "technocracy" is formed and it relies on professionals and science in the implementation of management activities. However, the ideal at first glance variant of technocratic governance, in practice can lead to dictatorship and the exclusion of the population from making government decisions and the infringement of human rights. In conclusion, the author notes that the main task for the state is to find a balance, otherwise any options for the democracy manifestation lead to an equally bad result.