This article explores the relation between constitutional moments and the politics of sub-state national societies in multinational democracies, particularly, in the recent context of Puerto Rico and Catalonia. Most formulations of the legitimacy-legality constitutional paradox are based on the observation that at times there can be a collision between constituent power and constitutional form, or a clash between politics and law, or between democracy and constitutionalism. Such a collision can lead to a clash of legitimacies between an established constitutional form and the constituent power represented by the democratic will of a people in a well-defined territory. The article utilizes Puerto Rico and Catalonia as examples of sub-state national societies that are part of a much larger state with different national characteristics, and recently both of their party systems have undergone major changes, which are in fact still ongoing. It does this to prove the above.
Este artículo explora la relación entre los momentos constitucionales y la política de las sociedades nacionales subestatales en las democracias multinacionales; especificamente, en el reciente contexto de Puerto Rico y Cataluña. El autor parte de la premisade que la mayoría de las formulaciones de la paradoja constitucional de legitimidad-legalidad se basan en la observación de que a veces puede haber una colisión entre el poder constituyente y la forma constitucional, o un choque entre política y ley, o entre democracia y constitucionalismo. Tal colisión puede conducir a un choque de legitimidades entre una forma constitucional establecida y el poder constituyente representado por la voluntad democrática de un pueblo en un territorio bien definido.
Cita: Jaime G. Lluch Aguilú, State-Nations, the Legitimacy-Legality Constitutional Conundrum and Sub-state Party System Realignments: Catalonia and Puerto Rico (2005-2018), 87 Rev. Jur. UPR 266 (2018).