An exercise in democracy

The selection of Ekmelettin İhsanoğlu as the joint candidate – not the alleged roof candidate as other parties immediately declared their disapproval – of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) is a new phenomenon in Turkey. Yes in the 1970’s there were CHP coalition governments with political Islamists and in the early 1990s center-right True Path Party (DYP) shared the government with the social democrats, but this time things are far different.

Naturally this will be the first-ever popular election of the president. Unlike previous “system crises” politicians can no longer look at the military for a “salvage,” nor has the nation support for such an anti-democratic way out. Yet, it is a fact that the oppressive leadership style is advancing towards the presidency and if elected, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will not be like President Abdullah Gül, who more or less conceded to play a role of notary for the powerful premier for most of the past seven years. Even though supporters of the premier rightfully defend the choice of the people must be respected, they tend to forget that for a democracy, there is need far more than a vote. The will of the nation is important and must be respected, but the will of the nation cannot be held hostage by one person or one party just because he or it received even 75 percent of the vote. In the absence of democratic norms, institutions, respect to and supremacy of law – which is different than enacting laws serving a certain purpose – and transparency in governance plus accountability, does it matter with what percentage an election was won? The victor of such an election cannot be democracy.

Perhaps seeing...