Table of contentsIntroductionThe importance of legitimacyPolitical legitimacy in the case of BotswanaConclusionBibliographyIntroductionAccording to Max Weber (1968), legitimacy is a power in which its acquisition and exercise are in accordance with the established law, power which interprets the law rules and is rational. As such, it emphasizes the rule of law, constitutionalism and democracy. It is arguably easier to say that legitimacy brought international recognition in the sense that the United Nations recognizes such states for matters of international trade, political stability, peace, etc. In the past, most African countries have faced a crisis of political legitimacy. This crisis has manifested itself in a loss of trust among African citizens because of the elites; people in power abused their power and engaged in corruption, making it appear that those in political office lived noble lives while ordinary people suffered. There is no doubt that in a government context, political legitimacy is the key to a democratic state that must effectively direct and control the use of government resources. It is a necessary tool to ensure that citizens' rights are not violated and that those in positions of authority do not abuse their power. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay This article will discuss the need for political legitimacy to govern a country. To pave the way for this writing, it is more important to decode the importance of legitimacy in the governance of a country using examples of legitimately governed states. Political legitimacy is considered a fundamental condition for governing, without which a government will experience legislative deadlock and collapse. Importance of Legitimacy Political legitimacy has contributed significantly to increasing levels of international recognition and economic investment relationships. Essentially, where there is legitimacy there is political stability and therefore economic growth through international trade, no country would want to invest in a nation where political instability reigns. A legitimate country gains a certain reputation in the world; it's safe, compliant and peaceful. As such, it is very easy to invest anywhere in the world to improve the development of the country. Taking the example of Botswana’s beef and diamond exports to other countries; These are Botswana's main economic sources and are doing relatively well due to the stability of the government, unlike countries like Liberia, Syria, Somalia and Zimbabwe. This also led to a division of labor or rather power. The political legitimacy of a civil government derives from the three branches of government namely the legislative, judicial and executive. These were combined to serve the national common good. Botswana is governed by the constitution which has stipulated all the duties of the three branches of government to ensure maximum efficiency and also to hold the government to account when things go wrong. Article 95 of the Constitution talks about the duties of arms as well as checks and balances to ensure that power is used accordingly within the legal framework to serve the best interests of the people. It promotes democracy in the form of civil legitimacy. In a democracy, government is by the people for the people, which is why the elected government respects the principlesdemocratic when it governs and is therefore legally responsible to its people. Especially since democracy advocates a government of the people by the people for the people. It is therefore important to lead a democratic nation where the rights and resources of the nation are protected. Democracy is seen through the existence of free and fair elections for all citizens. (Patberg, 2013) Civil legitimacy can be granted through accountability measures other than voting, such as financial transparency and stakeholder accountability. In the international system, another method of measuring civil legitimacy is by reporting to international human rights standards. (Aristotle, 2002) Political legitimacy also instills confidence in the people in the authority of its citizens. So, if the people trust the government so much, it is easier to maintain peace and order. This is easier for moral reasons of cooperation and obedience on the part of subordinates. Legitimacy binds citizens and its government to form a single, united country. It is a form of unifying the people of a country, essentially encouraging peace and stability. In a context where power is used appropriately and resources are fairly distributed in the country, people are not required to start political riots to beg the country to do things the right way. Take the example of Zimbabwe where the citizens were fed up with Robert Mugabe's power and started doing everything possible to get rid of him and eventually succeeded. The erosion of political legitimacy reached critical proportions because authorization regimes did not provide procedures for citizens to peacefully express such grievances, including to remove unpopular leaders. The power of a mob of angry citizens is greater than anything and the government must do the right thing under the law and not mistreat its people. This is why a legitimate government is necessary to properly govern a country to avoid situations of political unrest, etc. Legitimacy exists to promote the rule of law through constitutionalism. The modern political concept of constitutionalism establishes law as supreme over private will, incorporating nationalism, democracy, and limited government. The political legitimacy of constitutionalism arises from the popular belief and acceptance that government actions are legitimate because they follow the law enshrined in the constitution. According to political scientist Carl Joachim Friedrich, by distributing political power among branches of government, constitutional law effectively restricts government actions. That is, it has opened a platform of checks and balances where the organs can follow in ensuring that power is not abused in the discharge of its duties but rather used effectively and efficient. (Friedrich, 1901) Political Legitimacy in the Case of Botswana In the times we live in, every nation wishes to adopt a culture of efficiency and effectiveness through democracy, by involving its citizens in the decision-making process. decision-making on issues that may affect them as such. entire. Botswana, as one of the most developing countries, has adopted this culture of legitimacy. Botswana is considered one of the most legitimate nations among many countries in Africa and the world. It has developed profoundly in the sense that it has achieved good governance. Although the idea of ​​adopting such regimes of democracy, rule of law and civil legitimacy has been excellentideas, there were gaps to some extent. It has a constitution that governs the country, it acts as a form of rule of law, and no one can claim to be above the law and cannot break the law in any way. As such, this constitution is there to control and direct the powers of the three branches of government. It specifies their functions and limits. In this way, it serves civil legitimacy because everything is done according to the rules, with complete fairness and equality. The rights of no individual should be violated as long as there is the constitution. In Botswana there are free elections for all, this clearly shows that every individual was given the greatest privilege to vote for a certain person whom they would like to exercise authority or rather who they believe can do better. The elections are fair and legitimate. We can therefore say that democracy is really practiced in Botswana. This is basically the reason why unlike other countries, Botswana has not yet experienced a civil war or political instability because it is a fair and just nation. Legitimacy is a necessary condition for governing a country accordingly as it promotes good governance which ensures that powers are not abused and public resources are used efficiently and effectively with uniform distribution throughout. the country. Therefore, in promoting legitimacy, public participation must also be encouraged, because the only way for the government to govern properly is to know the needs, grievances, etc. people. Cross-sectionally, in different literatures, researchers have a collective interpretation according to which participation leads to better decision-making. Kandil (2017) argues that public participation contributes positively to the decision-making process because the government has redacted information – in the form of facts, values ​​and perspectives obtained through public input – to influence them in the decision-making process. Botswana's population is made up of people with a wide range of cultures and beliefs. Therefore, making the public a cornerstone of the decision-making process reduces the risks of ineffective and ineffective decision-making. This argument is based on the fact that ordinary citizens know their needs and priorities better than elites. Furthermore (Kandil, 2017) also emphasized that public participation encourages sustainable and actionable decisions. In the 21st century, countries face challenges related to the scarcity of resources needed to accommodate a growing population and be able to compete with other countries. Involving citizens' priorities in decision-making can be seen as a savior or messiah in the face of scarce resources. Only the priorities and aspirations presented by citizens represent the realities on the ground, thus making the implementation of decisions realistic. To make workable decisions, the government should involve other stakeholders to avoid making frivolous and vexatious decisions. Highlight the fact that effective public participation encourages transparency. Transparency and participation complement each other. Transparency paves the way for efficient and effective public participation. Transparency, participation and accountability are ingredients of democracy. Lack of transparency in government processes not only weakens the rule of law and democracy in Botswana, but also leads to corruption. Fragile transparency cuts the umbilical cord between citizens and government, encouraging the plunder of national resources by.. 14-24.