From Empire to Democracy, Turkish Republic Model, Role of One Party

Democratic form of government and democratic society mark an important achievement in the development of nations. There are basiclly two approaches to democracy. In stable and strong democracies people have fought for it. An alternative approach is up-to-down, observed in societies without serious history of independent social institutions, free legislation and educated citizens. Turkish Republic, in spite of its present deficiencies and past military interventions, is the most developed democracy in the Islamic world and in the middle east along with Israel. A basic rule of the democracy is changing of the government by free elections. Turkey has experienced several examples of this fact. Republican People’s Party played a major role in the establishment of Turkish Republic. The party spent efforts for implementing contemporary institutions and legislation, realizing reforms, and achieving a multiparty political regime in the early years of the republic. The results of the election in 1950 was a victory for the main opposition Democratic party (DP), and there was a swift change of the government. The RPP has been the main opposition party since 1960 and in many critical episodes has become a coalition partner in different governments.