The Principle of the Republican Form of Government and the Principle  of the Common Good in the Basic Law of the Federal Republic of Germany and in German Legal Science – Selected Issues

The author describes two constitutional principles – a principle of republic form of government and a principle of common good according to Basic Law of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and German constitutionalists. In the general and common meaning, republican state is an opposite of a monarchy order, which also excludes any forms of autocracy and all the more totalitarianism. In fact, many German scholars underline the ancient roots of republicanism as described by Aristotle or Cicero and its material and not only formal sense. According to them – a state as res publica is a commonwealth in which all citizens have its part, every authority has an obligation to serve citizens but also every citizen is obliged to act for the common good of others. Unfortunately, the Basic Law of FRG does not contain many provisions on these issues. The republic form of the government in Germany results from article 20 par. 1, article 28 par. 1 in conjunction with article 79 par. 3 of Basic Law (eternity clause). It is very often underlined that the essence of republicanism is fundamental rights – in other words – a true republic is a system of freedom. Also other, similar terms as common welfare, common good and good of the people mentioned only in four provisions of the Basic Law – article 14 par. 2, ar- ticle 56 in conjunction with art. 64 par. 2 and article 87e par. 4 are simply not defined. Some scholars are of an opinion, that that was intentional. Common welfare is an idea, which has meta-legal, and non-state character and which is even beyond the constitution. On the other hand it just cannot be described precisely, because in every concrete case some other definition has to be elaborated by the legislators, executive and the judiciary.

The republican system from the perspective of the century of the March Constitution of 1921

The main purpose of this article is to show the evolution of the understanding of the republican form of government in the Republic of Poland. This analysis concerns not only the legal regulation of this constitutional principle, but also refers to changes in the views of the constitutional doctrine on the perception of the republican principle, including its components. Discrepancies in the perception of the principle of the republican form of government among researchers were and are significant, which shows that for over 100 years of an independent Polish State, these disputes are still vigorous. The aforementioned differences in the interpretation of the republican principle concern primarily the material elements of this principle, revealing the relationship between the republican system and other principles of the system, first of all the principle of the sovereignty of the people (the nation), the principle of the separation of powers and the principle defining the system of government. For this reason, it becomes necessary to decode these rules in a way that respects the republican traditions. and, consequently, in a way that allows the implementation of the values that underpin the creation of the republican system, not so much as a negation of the monarchy, but as an alternative form to it.