Democratization from Above: Erdoğan’s Democracy Package

The democracy package that Prime Minister Erdoğan introduced with fanfare on the 30 September 2013 failed to meet expectations. The package contains around 20 items, including revisions in the electoral system, changes in laws pertaining to political parties, improvement of guarantees of individual liberties, increased penalties on hate crimes, and concessions, either of substance or symbolic value, to ethnic and religious minorities. But outside of those constituencies with particular concerns, the package has generated mixed reactions. It is unclear that such democratization is possible without incorporating Turkish civil society and other political parties into the process.