Principio mayoritario; democracia; democracia presidencial; pluralismo; Estado de derecho. Abstract This essay deals with the majority principle, its nature and its effects on political development in various contexts. It argues that the implementation of that principle varies according to distinct forms of government: while the parliamentary democracies in Europe have continuously restricted the application and impacts of majority rule, the presidential democracies in Latin America have seen

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... ite the opposite. Recent constitutional reforms have reinforced these patterns. In some countries, the majority principle has seriously affected other key principles of pluralist systems and the rule of law, and political practice has exceeded tolerable limits to still be considered democracies. However, both the academic and political debates, as well as the human rights dialogue, have remained relatively impervious to the increasing disparities between different types of presidential regimes.