Democracy

I do not like the word ?tolerance? at all because it contains some kind of a favor, a grant. It is a show of thinking of one?s self as superior and tolerating those who are inferior to you, the ones you actually cannot stand. 

Who is able to tolerate who and on what grounds? What kind of a bragging is that? Tolerance does not contain equality.

In this predominantly Muslim country, whenever there has been a serious challenge to the ?white? Turks? secular democratic governance anchored to the West, the threat was defused through an anti-democratic intervention in politics by Turkey?s strong military. It was so in 1960 and 1971, as well as in 1980 and 1997.

The nature of Turkey's democracy is a matter for Turkish citizens to decide, whether it's a presidential system or a strong parliamentary system. The system is not the essential piece for a country to become a democracy.

There is constantly the line that ?you are splitting the vote.? 

The electorate has been listening for the past five years to rhetoric based on ?Let?s not have your votes go into the garbage; this is the last exit before the bridge.?

President Klaus Iohannis sent, on Sunday, on the World Press Freedom Day, a message in which he shows that the role of the mass media is essential in defending public interest.

Photo credit: (c) Alex MICSIK / AGERPRES ARCHIVE

President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an has again vowed to transform Turkey?s entire political system, saying the adoption of the presidential system will constitute a profound reform to this end and repeating his call for ?400 lawmakers? to amend the constitution. 

In the run-up to the June 7 parliamentary elections, the top European security body has highlighted concerns in Turkey over incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an?s ?active role in the campaign,? as they have recommended the deployment of a team in order to observe the election.

About 2.5 years ago, I wrote a piece titled, "Turkey: Fears of Illiberal Democracy." I argued that with the subordination of the Kemalist military-bureaucratic establishment by elected politicians, Turkey had finally consolidated its electoral democracy. However, this did not guarantee these elected politicians would act in liberal ways.

When the Cold War ended and the Soviet Union dissolved, a new era of democratic expansionism was heralded, as Francis Fukuyama declared the end of history, optimistically assuming human ideological evolution had ended and liberal democracy ultimately triumphed over the authoritarianism of communism and fascism as the final form of human government.

One of the parties supporting Bulgaria's coalition government, left-wing ABV, tabled to Parliament amendments to the referendum legislation on Thursday.

According to the proposed amendments, referenda should be deemed valid if 40 % of eligible voters have participated in them, daily Dnevnik reports.