<原著・翻訳>ブータンの民主立憲君主制に対する批判の再考 --「現実の多元性」を踏まえた「意味のある価値評価」を目指して--

Abstract

Bhutan's 'democratic constitutional monarchy' resumed in 2008, with the promulgation of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Bhutan; it effected the introduction of a parliamentary system in which the members of the bicameral legislature are elected by universal suffrage, while the Cabinet is formed by the ruling party holding the majority of seats in the lower house. At the same time, Bhutan's monarch exercises oversight of the parliamentary system, to prevent it from lapsing into unrestrained interest group politics, at the expense of 'the national interest and well-being of the people' (the overarching mandate upheld in the Constitution). This positioning of the King is typically seen by critics to represent a paternalistic and oppressive polity, infringing on individuals' liberty and rights. This paper is aimed at critically re-examining this line of argumentation, with reference to Max Weber who put forth the notion of a 'parliamentary monarchy' prior to the First World War. According to Weber, in a parliamentary democracy that does not by itself bring about an associative bond in society, a monarch can play a role of facilitating political leaders to heed 'the national interest and well-being of the people'. In this way, individuals' liberty and rights of the people can be promoted better, owing to a monarch who nurture a feeling of commitment among political leaders to identify worthy national priorities. Otherwise, a parliamentary democracy remains liable, despite its promise to ensure popular responsiveness, to cause political power to overly concentrate in the hands of the few, thereby creating a gulf between the government and the people. By drawing on this proposition of Weber's, this paper is to elucidate how Bhutan's 'democratic constitutional monarchy' embodies an alternative route to individuals' liberty and rights. It thus relativizes the above-mentioned critique that argues against according renewed importance to the country's monarch.