In some countries, voting is an obligation.
In order to establish the meaning of the term obligation , it is first necessary that we proceed to determine its etymological origin. By doing so we discover that it is a word that comes from Latin, since it is made up of three components of said language:
• The prefix «ob-«, which is equivalent to «confrontation».
• The verb «ligare», which can be translated as «to tie».
• The suffix «-ción», which is used to make clear an action and its effect.
Obligation is what a person is forced (obliged) to do . It may be a legal imposition or a moral requirement . For example: "Paying taxes is an obligation of all citizens" , "If you want to continue working for us, you have the obligation to arrive on time every morning" , "Helping those most in need is an obligation of all of us who have the lucky to have a job .
The obligation to do or not do something
An obligation, therefore, can be a link that leads to doing or refraining from doing something , established by law or by regulations . In several countries, voting in elections is an obligation for all citizens who meet certain requirements (being over 18 years old, having an identity document, etc.).
If the person appears on the electoral roll and decides not to go to vote, they will have committed an offense for not complying with their civic obligation.
Traffic signs establish prohibitions and obligations when driving.
The concept in law
Within the scope of law, there is what is known as legal obligation. This is a term used to refer to the legal relationship or bond established between two people, a creditor and a debtor. Since they are united, it is vital that the latter has to carry out the fulfillment of a service to the former.
Specifically, starting from that concept, we would have to establish that in that case, the obligation can be of different types:
• Of plurality of subjects: joint or several.
• Depending on the object, we can speak of two large groups: those of giving, doing or not doing and, on the other hand, positive and negative.
• Based on the modalities, we would have to say that the legal obligation can be subject to them (term or condition) or pure and simple.
In this sense, it is also important to know that the aforementioned obligation can be transmitted or assigned. In cases where this is made effective, it must be taken into account that the only thing that changes is the person and not the obligation itself, which remains the same.
Religious or moral obligation
The obligation can also be tied to a religious precept . In this case, it is not the law that imposes the punishment for the offense, but God or the religious institution. Jews are obliged not to eat pork, while Christians are obliged not to have sexual relations before marriage.
It is possible that the obligation arises from the individual's own conscience or morals . If a man finds out that a friend is in trouble, he may feel that he has an obligation to help him and will stop what he is doing to help him.