THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS OF ASSEMBLIES IN ROUSSEAU'S SOCIAL CONTRACT

Abstract

This paper aims to present the general characteristics of the legislative process in Rousseau's Social Contract, especially the one developed in public assemblies. It will focus on the functions of sovereign power and the procedures followed when creating the laws of the State. By taking into account the formation of legislation, Rousseau lays the foundations of the sovereign's legislative activity, centered on the participation of the people in the political and social direction of the civil order. By acting in the assemblies, the citizen becomes invested in the legislative power with the full capacity to deliberate, suggest and vote on laws. The legislative process developed in the assemblies goes back to the idea of a democratic system through the direct expression of the general will. This process of creating norms directly is fundamental, because the work in assemblies enables the people to build their culture, customs and history through the legal system.