Turkey’s Democracy Conference Demands ‘Non-Negotiable’ Reforms as Experts Call for New Social Contract
A major conference in Turkey has opened with opposition leaders and experts demanding urgent democratic reforms, warning that the republic’s democratization “cannot be postponed” and calling for a new social contract that includes all citizens.
ISTANBUL — A conference titled “The Democratic Transformation of the Republic” has kicked off in Turkey, with opposition figures and experts delivering blunt messages about the country’s political future. Former politician Gültan Kışanak and former judge Rıza Türmen delivered the opening speeches, while author Burhan Sönmez sent a video message [172220]. Written messages from opposition leaders Özgür Özel, Ali Babacan, Ahmet Davutoğlu, Tülay Hatimoğulları, and Tuncer Bakırhan were also read aloud [172220].
Speaking at the conference, Tuncer Bakırhan, co-chair of the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), declared that democratization is an urgent and non-negotiable issue. “Democratization cannot be postponed,” Bakırhan said, as the event focused on political reforms and constitutional changes [172206].
In a separate panel, a group of Turkish intellectuals and academics explicitly called for a new social contract. The discussion, titled “The Founding Story of the Republic: Opportunities and Those Left Outside,” was moderated by Levent Köker and featured speakers Erdoğan Aydın, Hülya Osmanağaoğlu, Namık Kemal Dinç, and Pakrat Estukyan. The experts argued that the original social contract of the Turkish Republic created opportunities for some but left others behind, and that modern Turkey requires a new agreement that includes all citizens [172215].
The first day of the conference also included a panel-forum titled “Whose Republic, What Future?” moderated by Nuray Türkmen, with speakers including İrfan Çağatay, Ali Duran Topuz, Hüda Kaya, Levent Ayaşlıoğlu, and İhsan Eliaçık [172207].
A separate panel of leading academics and writers gathered in Istanbul to discuss the future of the so-called “Kurdish problem.” The session, titled “The Kurdish Question: A New Century for a Hundred-Year Problem,” was moderated by Doğu İrgil, with speakers including Ali Bayramoğlu, Abbas Vali, Feyza Akınerdem, Mesut Yeğen, and Veysi Aktaş. The discussion focused on whether the issue can be resolved through legal and democratic means without abandoning the principles of the republic [172209].
Meanwhile, a senior figure from the Imralı Secretariat, Veysi Aktaş, issued a stark warning, stating that Turkey must choose between surrendering to its fears or bravely unlocking a new era. Aktaş declared that the path forward lies under the roof of the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM), based on constitutional guarantees [172210].
Outside the conference halls, a group of 62 Turkish union leaders issued a joint statement rejecting the legitimacy of a recent congress, declaring it “invalid” and calling for an immediate new congress. “We are with Özgür Özel,” the union leaders said [171354]. Separately, CHP Ordu Deputy Torun criticized the current opposition structure, stating that “resignation is a unilateral declaration” and that their own resignation remains in effect [171371].