Ankara and Denizli Join Brussels and Tirana on Short List
Photo of Denizli via Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons license CC 3.0
Local democracy can flourish even within an autocratic nation-state.
Look no further than Turkey, and its democratic and innovative municipalities, for evidence of this truth.
Now comes more validation for the dogged democratic determination of Turkish locals. Two Turkish cities—the capital of Ankara and Denizli, a provincial capital in Turkey's western coastal "Aegean" region—are among the four finalists to serve as the European Capital of Democracy in 2027.
The other two finalists are Brussels—a democratic innovator but a place without a government for more than a year—and Tirana, Albania. A final decision is expected in March.
Being named the European Capital of Democracy is one of the world's democracy prizes. Barcelona, Vienna and Cascais, Portugal, were the three such capitals. To be eligible, cities join the European Cities Network, which involves democratic commitment and data sharing, and then apply to a foundation in Vienna. The cities then are studied and visited by panels of experts.
Then, a citizens jury— a Europe-wide panel of 4,500 citizens—also participate in choosing the European Capital. You can apply to become a citizen juror here.
The winning city hosts a year’s worth of events on democracy that draw people from across Europe and around the world.
The selection of two cities comes even as national authorities in Turkey target local leaders for jailing and prosecution. Istanbul's popular Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was detained in March and is now being prosecuted on corruption charges that are widely seen as politically motivated. Prosecutors said recently they are seeking 2,000 years in prison for the mayor.
Turkish cities have been contenders to be the democracy capital the past three years, and Izmir was previously a finalist.
