For 10 years, the Clerocratic Movement of France has existed. “It’s true that the term isn’t very marketable, yet this neologism carries such great hope,” begins Landry Benoit, President of Circle 06, in the small Depardieu Gallery. Indeed, who knows this term – still a neologism – derived from the Greek word “klérotérion”? Not many. But for historians, this term surely recalls the machine used to draw lots for magistrates in Athenian democracy. For it is from there that the clerocratic idea was born. “Clerocracy is a political system where leaders, after being selected through popular vote, are randomly assigned to fulfill a mission defined and controlled by the people, for a fixed, non-renewable period,” shares Bernard Turetti, head of the Azurean federation, with the few journalists and visitors present. The suspense is over. Eyes widen. “We are plunged into a new world,” exclaims an old woman dressed in a light orange coat. “Into a new political system!” retorts Landry Benoit, at the age of 21. “This idea might seem laughable because it’s utopian. But when we look at history: all the political systems that have governed our planet have been like us, human beings. They have had a birth, a life, stagnation, and an end. The same will happen to democracy.” For the few journalists present, the press conference then awakens an interest. “But what is the goal of your movement? Do you plan to run in elections to propose this alternative?” asks one of them. “Our intention is to offer a new solution to the contradictions and injustices of the current democratic system. The main outlines of clerocracy are drafted but we still have a long way to go before proposing a ready and directly applicable system,” responds Bernard Turretti, a hotelier from Mougins. “For this, we hope to run in the presidential elections in order to make our idea known but especially to make people understand that we are no longer in a democracy,” continues Landry Benoit. In 2007, the spokesperson François Amanrich ran for the supreme nomination and collected 254 endorsements. “We are confident for 2012,” adds the young man.
A Questionable Democracy
“But what do you criticize about the current democracy?” “That it is precisely not one! Just because we cast a vote every 5 years doesn’t mean we are sovereign. Even less so when we claim our freedoms. We tend to confuse democracy and freedoms, but democracy is primarily about the sovereignty of the people,” exclaims Bernard Turetti. Landry Benoit adds: “Yet what do we see when we look at the backgrounds of the deputies? That managers, civil servants, and higher professional occupations represent three-quarters of the deputies while employees and workers, who make up half of the active population, barely make up 6%.” “Would clerocracy therefore allow for political equality for citizens?” wonders a law student. “Yes! While considering the capabilities of each individual to access responsible positions.”
To conclude, Landry Benoit and Bernard Turetti announced their intention to organize the first national meeting of the MCF in Nice in September 2009. “We still need to think it over with François Amanrich, but this would be an opportunity to structure our movement, which has 11,000 interested parties on the web.”
