10 The characteristic feature of a democracy lies in the recognition that national sovereignty resides in the people, from whom all the powers of the State emanate. According to Montesquieu's well-known and hackneyed triptych of the division of powers, the three branches of government -legislative, executive and judicial-, regardless of their different origins, have to function with an exquisite balance to avoid interference that ends up undermining the pillars that support democracy.

]]>