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The results of last week’s snap elections in Turkey came as a surprise to many people. How were politicians who are widely accused of cracking down on dissent and the muzzling the press able to win elections in a democratic society?
That was the exactly the case for the Justice and Development Party, or AKP, of Islamist-leaning President Tayyip Erodgan, which received the public mandate to remain in power for a third-term of four more years.
The AKP’s share of votes rose from 42 percent in June to nearly 50 percent. The surge has increased Erdogan’s potential influence to change the country’s political system from parliamentary into presidential, in which the president enjoys most executive powers.
Some observers, however, are not surprised by the results given the environment in which the polls took place. Turkey has appeared increasingly unstable after witnessing the worst terror attack in its history last month, and many are experts are convinced that single-party rule is the best option for stability.
This program will examine the broader implications of the election results. What do they mean for Turkey and its long-standing Kurdish question? Is Turkey heading for a more stable future? What does Erdogan’s victory mean for Turkey-US relations and the war against the Islamic State?
To discuss these issues, Rudaw welcomes Alan Makovsky, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress with decades of experience on Turkish issues including service at the State Department (1983-1994), where he covered Southern European and Middle Eastern affairs for the Bureau of Intelligence and Research, and Merve Tahiroglu, a Turkey specialist with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a US foreign policy think tank. Her research focuses on Turkey’s foreign policy, domestic politics, and Ankara’s ties to Tehran.
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