The reflection of liberal economic policies to liberalpolitical policies in the period of Turgut Ozal: 1983 – 1993

Turgut Özal has widely been regarded one of influential actors in the politics and economic of Turkey in which neo-liberal paradigm was adopted through a set of economic decisions, known as January 24 Decisions and taken in 1980. This study focuses on the period from 1983 to 1993 when Özal served as the Prime Minister (until 1989), and later as President of the Turkey. The main purpose of this study is to analyze the Özal's contribution to democratization process ın Turkey about which there are different views. The concept of liberalism and new right will be discussed with the aim of understanding Özal's economic and political position with respect to these political thoughts. This study particularly analyzes Özal's campaign for the national referendum that was held in 1987 and can be considered as a litmus test for his views on the democratic regime. To do this, certain daily newspapers will be examined. Key Words: Liberalism, Neo-Liberalism, New Right, Turgut Ozal, Liberal Democracy, Democratization