This creates a paradoxical situation where the institutions of democracy—parliaments, courts, and elections—remain standing, but they are hollowed out. Scheppele argues that this "façade" is essential for the autocrat’s survival. It provides plausible deniability. When the European Union or the international community critiques the regime, the autocrat can point to the functioning parliament and the independent-looking courts and claim that their policies are merely the result of the democratic will of the people. This strategy exploits the international community’s narrow definition of democracy, which often focuses on the presence of elections rather than the fairness of the playing field.
Scheppele argues that legalistic autocrats follow a predictable "script" to hollow out liberal democracies from within: autocratic legalism kim lane scheppele upd