Antonios Kouroutakis: Rotation of Power. Hart Publishing 2026

This book explores the often-overlooked democratic principle of ‘rotation of power’.
It considers two key questions: what happens when power stops changing hands in a democracy, and when incumbents manipulate the system to entrench themselves in office, can democracy survive?
Democracies are often celebrated for their ability to ensure accountability and renewal through the peaceful and unhindered alternation of power.
Yet, they are not immune to a dangerous phenomenon: political selfentrenchment.
This phenomenon occurs when incumbents, unilaterally or collectively, exploit the power of office to dominate the political arena, tilt the playing field, distort democratic competition, and erode the very institutions designed to uphold democratic principles.

Contributing to scholarly and judicial debates, this book offers a fresh perspective on this issue by focusing on the cornerstone value of democracy: the rotation of power.

Through sharp analysis and case studies from multiple jurisdictions, this book tackles the following critical questions: why is the rotation of power fundamental to democracy? How do incumbents undermine it? And, crucially, how can we protect democratic competition from those who seek to monopolise power?

Antonis Kouroutakis is Associate Professor at IE
University Law School, Spain