1. Introduction
The European Union (EU) has been a very heterogeneous building since the start. The difficult task is forming a party system which fits the different national parties in coalitions that are able to produce results. With the now 25 members this seems even more problematic, since the states of Eastern Europe have a tradition that differs significantly from the countries in Northern and Western Europe.
It is, therefore, necessary to prove if party cohesion on the European level exists. If members of European Parliament (EP) would only vote on national interest, party coalitions would not serve their purpose. There needs to be cohesion towards the coalition in order to establish real European elections instead of second order national elections. In order to achieve this it is also necessary to be able to have a public opinion that can be organized into majorities (Beetham/Lord, 2001:77).
The questions, therefore, remain if the EU is able to establish even more members in its middle. It might be the case that new members would decline the party cohesion even further and that would make It even more difficult to establish true European elections.
In this paper, special emphasis will be on the role of Turkey and the adoptability into the party system. The leading hypotheses will be that the cleavages lines which are important for Turkish voters are too different in order to adopt to leading European ideas. A sup-question is also if the Eastern European countries have yet performed this step.
The paper will start with a normative frame that points out how an ideal democracy could work on the European level. Because of shortage of space this can not be discussed in total depth, but the presented ideas will serve as a framework.
After the theoretical part, the focus will be on the European system as it works today. Special emphasis will be on the party coalitions and their impact on the voting behaviour of members of parliament (MEP). It is essential to describe why national parties have agreed to work together and what political solutions they prefer. Since there are seven coalitions in the EP today, not all can be fully analysed. Therefore, the two biggest groups (EVP-ED and SPE) will mainly be the focus, since they hold over 60% of the seats.
The next part will analyse the Turkish system and what kind of issues are deciding for Turkish voters. The history of democracy will be the starting point of this analysis before the present situation will be the focus.
The conclusion will, therefore, be based on the question if Turkey’s party system can adapt to the EU, and, thus, the entry of Turkey into the EU is feasible taking these conditions into account.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Theoretical part of a European party system
2.1 Intergovernmental Approach
2.2 Supranational Approach
3. Fractions in European Parliament
3.1 Party of European socialists (PES)
3.2 European People Party (EPP)
3.3 Cohesion of the fractions in European parliament
4. Turkey and its party system
4.1 Democracy in Turkey
4.2 Establishing of democracy
4.3 Recent politics in Turkey
4.4 The 2003 elections
4.5 Reasons for the elections in Turkey
5. Conclusion
6. Literature
Objectives and Core Topics
This paper investigates the feasibility of Turkey's integration into the European Union by examining whether its national party system and electorate's political cleavage lines are compatible with the existing European party structures. The research explores the democratic foundations of the EU and the specific political challenges posed by the Turkish landscape.
- Analysis of Intergovernmental versus Supranational approaches to European governance.
- Evaluation of party cohesion within the European Parliament, specifically focusing on the PES and EPP.
- Historical and socio-political overview of the Turkish democratic process and party system.
- Assessment of the impact of religious and ethnic cleavage lines on Turkish voting behavior.
- Challenges regarding the potential integration of a large, non-homogenous state like Turkey into the EU political framework.
Excerpt from the Book
4.5 Reasons for the elections in Turkey
As pointed out the left-right issue is different compared to other European countries. Instead of classical work versus capital cleavage line it seems that for a lot of voters the religious cleavage line becomes most important. The Islamic fundamentalism is certainly a problem that is seen in no other countries as recent as in Turkey. Under the leadership of the RPP the separation of state and church was extremely strong (Aslan, Bozay, 1997: 152). But this had only little support in the population, and directly after the decline of this regime, pro-Islamic parties gained influence again.
Another problem, that is decisive for Turkey is the enormous gap between the north and the south. While the north and especially the bigger cities are highly developed, the southern regions are still close to the status of developing countries. The whole economy of Turkey is only on the level of Bulgaria or Rumania, which shows that a lot of development is necessary. Especially in East Anatolia the average per head income is only 28% of the national average (Ahtisaari, 2004: 43).The religious aspect for this reason is even more important than in the rest of Turkey. Because of poverty and a lack of education, the people are more likely to believe in the words of the religious leaders.
Another important issue in voting is the question of the Kurdish population. The recent Kurdish party are popular among the population, because they promise to give the rights back that are often taken violently from this group. Violations of human rights are still reported in Turkey and are especially directed against the Kurdish minority. Therefore, a rising percentage of the Kurdish population wants to become independent (Türsan, 2004: 210f).
Altogether it can be said that the cleavage lines in Turkey differ significantly from the cleavage lines in most other European countries. The Independent movement is in existence in Ireland or Spain, but they never understood this political dimension in Turkey with the Kurdish population. Also no other country in Europe has the question of religion this deeply integrated in the political landscape.
Chapter Summaries
1. Introduction: Outlines the research problem regarding EU party system cohesion and introduces Turkey as a case study for potential integration challenges.
2. Theoretical part of a European party system: Discusses the Intergovernmental and Supranational approaches to defining the ideal democratic structure for the European Union.
3. Fractions in European Parliament: Provides an overview of the current political groups in the EP, focusing on the historical development and goals of the PES and EPP.
4. Turkey and its party system: Examines the democratic history of Turkey, the impact of recent elections, and the specific socio-political factors influencing Turkish voters.
5. Conclusion: Summarizes the findings, concluding that the current incompatibility of Turkey's political cleavage lines poses significant obstacles for its integration into the EU.
6. Literature: Lists the academic sources and references utilized throughout the research.
Keywords
European Union, European Parliament, Turkey, Party System, Democracy, PES, EPP, Integration, Religion, Cleavage Lines, Voter Behavior, Political Parties, AKP, Kurdish Minority, Supranationalism.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary objective of this research?
The paper aims to evaluate if the European Union's party system can successfully incorporate Turkey, given the differences in national political structures and voter priorities.
Which theoretical frameworks are applied to the EU governance?
The study utilizes both the Intergovernmental and Supranational approaches to analyze how power is distributed and how political representation functions at the European level.
Why are the PES and EPP the focus of this analysis?
These two federations were selected because they represent the largest political coalitions in the European Parliament, holding over 60% of the total seats.
What is the central research hypothesis?
The hypothesis suggests that the political cleavage lines significant to Turkish voters are fundamentally different from those prevalent in existing European member states, creating barriers to adoption.
How is the Turkish party system characterized in the study?
The system is described as having undergone significant transitions since the 1940s, marked by military interventions and a rising influence of religious and nationalist political factors.
What role does the '10% clause' play in Turkish elections?
It is highlighted as a significant barrier that excludes large segments of the population from parliamentary representation, thereby affecting political stability.
How does the author view the potential accession of Turkey?
The author concludes that substantial improvement in the Turkish party system is necessary for successful integration, as current trends show significant divergence from European political norms.
What is the impact of religion on Turkish politics?
The study argues that religion has become a central cleavage line in Turkish politics, which contrasts with the more secular or ideological divisions typical in many European states.
- Quote paper
- Daniel Schmidt (Author), 2007, Does an enlargement of the European Union inhibit the party establishment of a European party system? Case study of Turkey , Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/91677
