PROBLEMS OF IMPLEMENTING THE PRINCIPLE OF PARTICIPATION IN THE ACTIVITIES OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT BODIES

People's power is a constitutional principle that gives the people the right to exercise power both directly and through representatives. In recent years, society has faced many new challenges, which, however, give us a clear understanding of which «democracy» should not be built and whose experience should not be used. It is necessary to realize how important is an active citizen's position and personal participation to avoid such a terrible result as authoritarianism and dictatorship. Constitutional right; municipal law КОНСТИТУЦІЙНЕ ПРАВО; МУНІЦИПАЛЬНЕ ПРАВО 48 // Конституційне право; муніципальне право // // Міжнародний науковий журнал «Інтернаука». Серія: «Юридичні науки» // № 4 (74), 2024 However, awareness alone is not enough, there must be legal regulation and real opportunities to influence the activities of both state and local self-government bodies. This article is specifically devoted to the issue of effective implementation of the principle of citizen participation, which is fundamental to the activity of public authorities in a democratic state governed by the law. The state legal doctrine singles out definition of «participatory democracy». It is the type of democracy when citizens directly participate in all stages of administrative decision-making, including at the local level. Its advantages are obvious: increased trust in the authorities, effective development of territorial communities in accordance with the interests of the residents themselves, etc. Ukraine encountered a number of problems during the local self-government reforms, and unfortunately, this principle is not yet implemented effectively, despite the existing regulatory consolidation. In recent years, many changes have been made to the legislation and a number of normative legal acts have been developed to ensure citizen participation, but these provisions still need improvement and further development. Therefore, scientists and policymakers continue to cooperate to achieve a common goal. This article is also an attempt to find effective ways to improve and solve existing problems.