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The Economic Commission of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) has released a report on the "Cost of Democratic Decline."
Speaking at a press conference held by HDP deputies to share the report with the public, MP Erol Katırcıoğlu said democracy is directly related to the economy.
Katırcıoğlu noted that Turkey is behind countries such as Uganda, Zambia, Senegal, Bangladesh and Morocco in the Democracy Index of the Economic Intelligence Unit.
The end of the "resolution process" to the Kurdisn question, the 216 coup attempt and the subsequent period of state of emergency, the presidential system implemented following the 2018 election caused democracy to decline in Turkey, he said.
"With this system, very few people have been making decisions that concern the lives of 85 million people, and therefore the probability of these decisions being wrong has increased," he remarked.
When preparing the report, they examined four variables, said the MP:
• Decreased legal guarantees,
• Moving away from the search for democratic solutions to political problems,
• Restriction of political and economic freedoms,
• Putting barriers to political participation.
"The law index... According to this index, Turkey dropped from 80th place to 117th place from 2015 to 2021. The decrease in legal guarantees increased the entry costs of capital into the country. Between 2015 and 2021, interest expenses increased from 53 billion to 181 billion liras.
"The country's risk premium, which was 215 in 2015, reached 686 in 2022. Trying to solve the country's problems by advancing security policies caused a decline in democracy. While budget revenue jumped three and a half times, security expenditures jumped 4.6 times. This resulted in a debt burden."
"... To summarize, the decline in Turkey's democracy since 2015 is reflected in the economy. Today, we see that Turkey's real problem is democracy. In countries like ours, the problems of administration are more dominant than the problems of the economy. Turkey is experiencing an incredible crisis, this is the crisis of democracy."
"What happens in Kurdish provinces affects the entire country"
Speaking after Katırcıoğlu, MP Necdet İpekyüz said, the underdevelopment of the Kurdish provinces affects the entire country.
It is not a coincidence that Kurdish-majority regions are both the regions with the highest unemployment and the regions where elected local governments are replaced with government-appointed trustees, he added.
"Between 2013 and 2015, we discussed the Kurdish issue. The inflation and unemployment rates were single digit between 2014 and 2015. The point we have come is clear. The cost of this is increased in Kurdish provinces.
"The region has been governed with a regime of state of emergency since September 12 [the 1980 military coup]. It was listed for a short time and welfare spread all across the country.
"... As long as you move away from democracy, then your economy will be fragile. ... It is necessary to listen to the voices of others, especially the Kurdish issue. As we move away from democracy, unemployment, poverty, oppression and lawlessness will increase, only a small group will be rich." (HA/VK)
