Concept in Definition ABC

De facto means in fact or in reality and is one of the many Latin phrases that are part of of our everyday vocabulary (incognito, curriculum vitae, ipso facto, casus belli and other many).

De facto it is used in those circumstances in which the legal and the real do not coincide. In fact, he opposes another locution de jure, which means de right. Thus, something exists de facto when it is not covered by the legality, but in practice it has a validity. It is a very common term in the political sphere or related to the spheres of power. Imagine the following situation: formally a nation It is governed by rulers elected by the people, but in reality who holds power is a group of soldiers. The one who really commands is the military establishment, so it can be affirmed that de facto power is held by the army, although de jure it does not have this recognition.

De facto is also used in other types of circumstances, where there is a contradiction between theory and practice. Let us suppose that in a company the maximum responsible is the president of the entity. However, your role is testimonial and most likely not the decision maker. Who really has the authentic power, de facto, is someone else.

In some contexts, what happens in reality is imposed with such force that does not correspond to what is established by a rule, a regulation or one law. Laws have a formal and theoretical dimension, but the evolution of events does not always coincide with the legal framework.

De facto and shadow power

We all know that power has two faces. One is institutional and official and has a largely formal role. There is another hidden side that is not always evident, that is, those people or groups that apparently they do not make the decisions, but they have an indisputable role due to their great weight and influence. These people or groups are the ones who, de facto, exercise command. For this reason, an expression has been coined: power in the shade.

The power in the shadow is not recognized in a contract, in a Constitution or in any document, so de jure it is non-existent. The shadow power is not a group that belongs to a mysterious sect. In reality, they have a specific name: the different pressure lobbies, groups whose influence capacity is indisputable, because de facto they have a role in the final decision-making.