TURKEY-ADDING MORE DEMOCRACY TO THE DEMOCRATIC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ISTANBUL 000400 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL TU SUBJECT: TURKEY-ADDING MORE DEMOCRACY TO THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY (DP) REF: ISTANBUL 334 ISTANBUL 00000400 001.2 OF 002 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Newly elected Istanbul chair of the Democratic Party (DP) Remzi Sen said the party is incorporating additional democratic principles, including a primary system to select its candidates. This is part of DP's new strategy to broaden its appeal and "embrace all 70 million Turks". The party seeks to receive over ten percent of the national votes in the 2009 local elections to show it is a viable opposition party. Sen understands that poor leadership in the past has given the party a bad image, but thinks new blood at the top should overcome this problem. Sen is critical of the closure case against the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and supports the operation against the alleged "Ergenekon" coup plotters. End Summary. ¶2. (SBU) DP's Istanbul chair Remzi Sen stated the party is in the process of adopting radical changes to become truly democratic. According to Sen, elected Istanbul DP chairman in June, at the October party convention the DP will change its party by-laws to require all DP candidates to be selected by a primary vote, rather than being appointed by the party leadership. This will show the DP is serious about bringing the average Turk into the political process, Sen argued. By contrast, in Turkey's other major political parties the leadership selects candidates for the party lists with no input from the rank and file. This will give DP a great advantage during the next election, according to Sen, since Turks tend to vote for candidates whom they know personally. A primary system would strongly encourage candidates to interact with the voters to gain better and positive name recognition. ¶3. (SBU) According to Sen, selecting candidates by a primary system is part of DP's strategy to "embrace all 70 million Turks". The new DP national party chair Suleyman Soylu, wants to reach out to all consistencies to counter the current divisive political situation, Sen said. Young, energetic, and with a background similar to Prime Minister Erdogan, Soylu grew up in an Istanbul lower middle-class neighborhood, learning politics at the grassroots level, he noted. Soon after becoming party chair, Soylu traveled throughout Turkey to introduce himself to the electorate. Sen told us DP does not target a particular region or demographic: "all Turks are the same; Diyarbakir is no different from Trabzon". Sen said Soylu brings a fresh, new positive attitude to the DP that will attract all Turks. -------------- --- DP Wants to get over 10 percent in the 2009 Local elections -------------- --- ¶4. (SBU) Sen told us DP seeks to gain over ten percent of the national vote in the local elections currently scheduled for March 2009. Although the 10 percent threshold set by law for representation in Parliament does not apply to local elections, crossing this symbolic barrier would signal to the public that DP is a viable political party in a future national election. DP has no plans to renew attempts to merge with fellow center-right Motherland Party (Anavatan),he added (reftel). While Anavatan members are welcome to join DP, DP will not merge with any party. Sen emphasized DP is the original center-right party, with roots going back to the 1940s, and currently garners far more support than the smaller Anavatan Party. ¶5. (SBU) While Sen did not provide concrete examples of how a DP administration would differ from AKP, he criticized AKP for dividing the nation. Sen alleged the AKP packed the bureaucracy with cronies, rather than appointing people on merit. He conceded that previous ruling parties used the same tactic, claiming however that AKP's abuse was more pervasive. AKP's appointment policy is more dangerous, Sen stated, because the leadership not only chooses from its own supporters but focuses its appointments on people with "a certain lifestyle"; a veiled reference to pious party supporters. -------------- Past Problems -------------- ISTANBUL 00000400 002.2 OF 002 ¶6. (SBU) Sen admitted DP has an image problem caused by past leaders. Management and personal mistakes tainted DP and its predecessor, the True Path Party (DYP). Previous party chairs Tansu Ciller and Mehmet Agar, both viewed as having mismanaged the party, were associated with scandals in the 1990s. Soylu will bring the party back to its roots, according to Sen. -------------- Anti-Closure Case; Pro-Ergenekon Prosectuion -------------- ¶7. (SBU) Sen strongly criticized the AKP closure case, stating the judiciary should not ban a legitimately elected ruling party. In a true democracy, the people should decide if a party should be closed, and the method to do this is through the normal electoral process. The military, the judiciary and foreign powers should not meddle in Turkey's democratic system. Sen expects the Constitutional Court to make the "right" decision by rejecting the prosecutor's call to ban the AKP. Even if the AKP is not banned, AKP opponents will continue to pressure the party, likely introducing yet another political crisis, he continued. The public is getting fed up with the political unrest and will punish AKP at the ballot box, he predicted. ¶8. (SBU) Sen told us there is at least "some truth" to the ongoing criminal investigations targeting the Ergenekon alleged coup plotters. There are those who seek to remove AKP by any means necessary, including using force to oust a democratically elected government, he said. Those who plan or instigate the forceful removal of a government should be prosecuted under the law. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶9. (SBU) If successful, the DP's move to use primaries to select candidates would be a welcome step away from the Turkish custom of concentrating that power in party leaders' hands. While this may create bitter power struggles open to public viewing, it would boost DP's credibility as a more open and democratic alternative to AKP and other parties - a positive development in a country with very little intra-party democracy. At the same time, if DP cannot articulate a platform with grass-roots appeal distinct from AKP, or indeed from its own past, it is hard to see how a primary system alone will bring in enough votes to restore the party's viability. OUDKIRK