ABSTRACT
Rule of law, like any other important political concept such as justice or equality, is an ‘essentially contested concept’.2 Yet the fact that there is room for debate about the proper interpretation of ‘rule of law’ should not blind us to the broad consensus as to its core meaning and basic elements. At its most basic, rule of law refers to a system in which law is able to impose meaningful restraints on the state and individual members of the ruling elite, as captured in the rhetorically powerful if overly simplistic notions of a government of laws, the supremacy of the law, and equality of all before the law.3
