otoritarianisme

Otoritarianisme is a term that appears infrequently in formal political science literature and is often encountered as a misspelling or regional variant of the more established authoritarianisme or autoritarianism. In standard usage, the preferred term is authoritarianism, with equivalents such as autoritarisme in several languages. When used, otoritarianisme denotes a mode of governance in which political power is concentrated in a central authority and political pluralism is sharply curtailed.

Common features include a strong centralized executive, restrictions on civil liberties, and limited or manipulated elections. The state often exercises control or censorship over media, suppresses opposition, and relies on security services with broad discretionary powers. The rule of law tends to be subordinate to the ruler’s will, and civil society organizations operate under state oversight or patronage. Regimes described as otoritarianisme may rely on coercion, patronage networks, or selective legitimacy to maintain control, rather than a total mobilization of society.

Otoritarianisme is typically contrasted with totalitarianism, which seeks comprehensive social and ideological control, and with liberal democracies, which emphasize competitive elections and robust civil liberties. In practice, distinctions among authoritarian forms can blur, as regimes blend coercion with limited political participation and economic maneuvering to preserve stability.

Because it lacks a precise, universal doctrine, otoritarianisme functions more as a descriptive label for a broad family of regimes than as a single, coherent ideology. See also: authoritarianism, dictatorship, civil liberties, political science.