ABSTRACT
Chapters 5 and 6 argued that the failure of the centre-left to maintain a dominant electoral stance during the 1990s was related to the inability of the parties in question to engage with the relevant determinants of voting. The cases discussed in the previous chapter are illustrative of some of the key voter groups which the centre-left has failed to attract. This final chapter attempts to answer the question of why centre-left parties fail to formulate an electorally attractive platform. Why do theSHP/CHPandDSPchoose to stick to authoritarian interpretations of secularism and nationalism? Themain reason offered is related to the principle of ‘ideological adaptability’. In Turkish party politics, it can be argued that party lines descended from the periphery tradition maintain an ability to adapt their ideological position to suit the main determinants of voting in any given period. In contrast to this, the centre-left line of parties maintain rigid ideological approaches, based on the tradition of state building.
