Institutional mechanisms of power legitimation in conditions of full-scale war

Abstract

The article examines the problem of sustaining the legitimacy of state power in Ukraine during the full-scale war, when the destruction of institutions, shifts in public expectations, and the reorientation from procedural to moral and instrumental legitimacy create new challenges for the political system. The author analyzes how the war has transformed traditional mechanisms of legitimation — elections, accountability, and civic participation — subordinating them to the primary goal of state survival. Drawing on the classical concepts of legitimacy by D. Beetham, the communicative approaches of V. Jabri, and the theories of institutional stability by C. Tilly, the study traces the evolution of the Ukrainian model from the mobilizational legitimation of 2022 to the phenomenon of “legitimation through survival,” in which trust in government endures due to its ability to ensure security, defense, and effective governance.

The empirical basis of the research is the 2024 study by the Institute of Political and Ethnic Studies of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, which recorded a high level of trust in the presidential branch (over 60%) alongside a significant “legitimacy gap” concerning the parliament and the government (over 60%). The most vulnerable appeared to be the normative-legal and communicative instruments, indicating the dominance of short-term, instrumental legitimacy over inclusive democratic procedures. The findings highlight that the structural fragility of post-communist institutions, the centralization of power, and the limited autonomy of the parliament and government have shaped Ukraine’s model of a “fighting democracy,” in which the survival of the state prevails over procedural legality.

The author argues that preserving democratic legitimacy in the postwar period requires a shift from mobilizational governance to a system of accountability, transparency, and deliberative dialogue. The concept of the “legitimacy gap” is proposed as an analytical tool for assessing the balance between citizens’ expectations and institutional performance. The article contributes to the broader scholarship on political legitimacy in wartime and crisis societies, offering an analytical model relevant to Ukraine’s democratic recovery process.