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Before attempting to formulate some of the required conditions, letus remember what democracy is. I shall not provide here a definition,since a number of them can be found in social science literatüre 19 , butdraw attention to a fundamental characteristic of this regime vvhich is particularlyrelevant to the current situation in Turkey: democracy is a formof government based on the principles of transparency and certainty ofprocedures and uncertainty of outcomes. The outcome will be vvhat a majorityof citizens and their elected representatives adopt, through democraticprocedures. Only in non,democratic regimes are the outcomes predefınedby povver-holders, and some allegedly democratic proceduresused to confirm them. The quality and strength of democracy depends onthe participation of citizens and ali stake-holders in the decision-makingprocess. Tocqueville observed, in 1835, that in democratic regimes, citizen'sparticipation is the most important element, and that "selfgovernment"has its ovvn specific efficiency in terms of active citizensand societal peace 20 .Let me turn novv to certain conditions vvhich vvould help the Turkishdemocracy to resume its expansion:1. The reinforcement of representative institutions and introductionof participatory proceduresOn representation, the proposals made in the already mentionedTÜSİAD report constitute a good basis for discussion. An institutional reform,vvhich vvould include changes in the 1982 Constitution and the legislationin different areas so as to eliminate systematically ali clauses thatlimit human rightss and fundamental liberties and give greater prerogativesto non-elected bodies, över the elected ones. None of the State institutionsshould be placed above the Parliament and the elected government.The National Security Council should be civilianized. The justiceshould become independent and democratic, through legal reform and theabolition of the State security Courts. A better balance is to be establishedbetvveen the executive and the legislative povvers. The prerogatives of theParliament, especially its investigative povvers, should be up-graded. Theexecutive is povverful in Turkey, provided that the electoral systemguarantees stable majorities. I do not think that a Presidential, or aFrench-type semi-presidential system vvould fit Turkey's conditions,for in not so vvell-established democracies, they generate legitimacy crises21 .19. For an extensive overvievv, see for example, Lipset, Seymour Martin (editor-in-chief)et al (1995), The Encyclopedia of Democracy, London, Routledge (4 volumes).20. Tocqueville, Alexis de (1951), De la democratie en Amerique, in Oeuvres completes,T. 1, Vol. 11, Paris, Gallimard (published fırst in 1835).21. Linz, Juan (1990), "The Perils of Presidentialism", Journal of Democracy,, Vol. 1,No. 1.245