GOLD Report I - UCLG

MIDDLE EAST / WESTERN ASIA206United Cities and Local GovernmentsTurkey is the onlypluralist seculardemocracy,and has alwaysattached greatimportance todeveloping itsrelations withEuropean countries4. These reforms alsofell within theframework of the‘Six Arrows’ asAtaturk’s generalnationalist policyaimed to ensure themodernization ofTurkey.tralized, but its local government system issubject to a constitutional jurisprudencethat is extraordinary in the region.Turkey is the only pluralist secular democracy,and has always attached great importanceto developing its relations withEuropean countries. Historically, Turkishculture has had a profound impact overmuch of Eastern and Southern Europe. Afterthe First World War and the proclamationof the Turkish Republic in 1923, theKemalism, to which the present Turkishstate is heir, deliberately distinguished itspolitical and social system from that of theArab countries. This was particularly emphasizedby the abolition of the Caliphateand the adoption of the Latin alphabet,modified only slightly 4 . Turkey’s moderndemocratic conception and acceptablyfunctional institutions present more contrastthan similarity to other Middle Easternnations. This contrast is no less apparent inregard to decentralization.II.1. The objectives of decentralizationBy means of constitutional and legislativereforms during the past ten years, all thecountries in the region have embarkedupon a change of direction toward increasedadministrative decentralization. However,far from being uniform, the underlyingmotives and results are quite different andwide-ranging.a) External factorsMembership of the European Union. As acountry where decentralizing reforms areincreasing in scale, Turkey has been motivatedby its desire to gain membership ofthe European Union, whose criteria formembership include respect for humanrights. It is therefore within the frameworkof the European Charter of Local Self-Government,signed in 1988 and ratified in1992, that this wide-ranging renovation ofstate structures – including new local governmentlaws and constitutional changes– is taking place.U.S.A. policy in the region. The United Statesmaintains a military presence in the region,particularly in Iraq. The promotion ofthe principles of « good governance » anddemocracy have become the declared USpolicy in the region. With the on-going supportof different countries, the United Statessustains its regional policy throughdirect and indirect means.Economic pressures. Along with political pressuresand within a context of neoconservativeglobalization, the non-petroleum-producingcountries – Lebanon, Jordan, and Palestine –face demands from international backers forthe restructuring, not only of their weak economies,but also of their societies. Thestrengthening or the establishment of localgovernment is one of the pillars of thesereforms in that it constitutes the first step inapplying the principles of good governance.b) Internal factorsInternal population pressure. Although civiliansociety is not accustomed to makingits voice heard, there has recently been anincreasing demand for local democracy bytwo groups whose interests converge onlyin this single area. Both appear to see inmoves toward democracy the means ofbringing victory to their overall concept ofthe state. One group, often referred to asradicals, wants a more rigid system of government.The other group, the intellectualelite, wants to establish real democracy. Anexample of this urging toward democracyis the 100 Saudi intellectuals who in January2003 presented the Crown Prince with apetition requesting changes; similar pressureled the Jordanian government to restorethe election of mayors by universal suffrage.Coming to terms with demands for autonomy.In the specific case of Iraq, where internalpressures are nationalist in nature,decentralization has enabled the granting ofextensive autonomy, including legislative powers,to Kurdistan. However, these powersdo not grant or imply independence for thatregion.