DEVELOPMENT OF DEMOCRACY AND FREEDOM OF SPEECH AS FACTORS IN ENSURING THE RULE OF LAW

Abstract

Abstract. The functioning of political, economic, and social processes in the state relies on the observance of legal foundations, the clear implementation of legislative norms, and the impartiality of the judicial branch of government. The specified approaches assume the presence of relevant directions that form the rule of law. The classical understanding of the rule of law requires the observance of order and security, the limitation o f certain powers of state authorities, the implementation of anti-corruption policy, etc. An important factor is the presence of an appropriately developed institutional environment that serves as a catalyst for the establishment of the rule of law. It is proposed to consider the components of such an environment (the level of democratic development and freedom of speech), which are directly related to the establishment of the rule of law in the country. The purpose of the article is to identify modern patterns, principles, mechanisms for ensuring the rule of law through a systematic analysis of the problems of democracy and freedom of speech on the example of European countries and Ukraine. It is proposed in the methodological approach to determine the characteristics of the rule of law, democracy and freedom of speech to use modern models of global ranking (Rule of Law Index, Democracy Index, Freedom of Speech Index). The connection between the rule of law, democracy and freedom of speech was determined based on the construction of graphic models; the state of the components that characterize the level of the rule of law in Ukraine and the main trends of its development in recent years. The study of individual European countries and Ukraine revealed patterns in accordance with the indicators of the rule of law with the level of democracy and freedom of speech. The consequences of a high level of the rule of law are economic growth, social justice and increased trust in government institutions. The ineffectiveness of the legal, economic and administrative mechanisms of state administration to ensure the rule of law can significantly worsen the observance of democratic principles and freedom of speech. The inability of the state to ensure progress in the sphere of the rule of law in Ukraine was a consequence of the imperfection of the mechanisms of state administration that implement the necessary state-administrative tasks. Ensuring sustainable economic development, preservation of democratic values and freedom of speech make it possible to ensure high indicators of the rule of law.