ABSTRACT
This chapter shows that whilst democratic voting procedures are not really values in themselves, neither can they be reduced to mere expediencies. Democratic voting procedures derive their value from the context of other institutions and from a certain style of communal interaction where rights and duties are not determined by authoritarian or autocratic processes but are publicly agreed upon, assigned and guaranteed. The concept of procedural justice can also be applied to democracy and democratic procedures. Karl Marx had no objections to the market as such, especially not when market activities led to a large-scale exchange of goods at fair prices. The legitimation of political power is therefore not simply a choice between consensus and compromise and the decision to grant an important role to political compromise is at variance with Habermas' stated requirements.
