It has been 40 years since Spanish people were given the right to vote. On the occasion of this anniversary, the full professor Adela Cortina published an article on El País, entitled Democracia sin decepción (Democracy without disappointment).

On 15 June, we celebrated 40 years since Spanish people were able to vote for the first time after 38 years of Franco’s dictatorship. To commemorate this date, Adela Cortina, Director of the Master’s Degree in Ethics and Democracy and full professor of Ethics and Political Philosophy, published an article in the special issue of El País “La voz de todos” (Everyone’s voice), which was entitled 'Democracia sin decepción' (Democracy without disappointment).

In her article, the full professor reflects on which are the challenges of our democratic system, which is currently going through a cycle of disenchantment and disaffection. She states that “our system is only a form of organisation, not a doctrine of salvation”; therefore, “politicians should be enablers and not commanders.”

“When on 15 June 1977 Spanish people were able to participate in the first democratic elections held after 38 years of Franco’s dictatorship, we began to learn from experience what we knew thanks to others about democracy and the values it includes. We had followed the debates of political parties presenting their programmes and we were able to put freedom into practice through our vote. This is supposed to be the clearest mark of the democratic tradition: the right to vote in regular elections. But it is not much yet.”

This is how the article by Adela Cortina begins. In it she talks about our democracy and deals with issues as diverse as the first elections after the transition, the 1978 Constitution, the integration of Spain into the European Union, the crisis and education.