Turkish people decide: What's next for Turkey and the others
Turkey stands as a buffer zone between the West and the Middle East, and as such, its problems are not just its own in this global system and the upcoming elections have repercussions far beyond the country
Turkey is going to early elections once again on Sunday, Nov. 1. Sixteen parties with almost 8,500 candidates and 21 independent candidates will run in the elections to become one of the 550 members of Parliament. The 54 million registered voters in Turkey and 3 million abroad will decide what's next for Turkey.
The last parliamentary elections were on June 7, 2015. Four parties were elected into Parliament, with the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) securing 258 seats, the Republican People's Party (CHP) 132 seats, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) securing 80 seats each. The AK Party couldn't get the majority to form a single-party government for the first time since 2002. Also, the pro-Kurdish HDP entered Parliament as a party for the first time, passing the 10 percent threshold. Since the coalition negotiations failed, Turkey had to go to early elections.
In the meantime, in June, 10 days after the outlawed PKK declared an end to the cease-fire with Turkey, the suicide bombing in Suruç, a town in southeastern Turkey's Şanlıurfa province, killed 32 people and injured more than a hundred. This was followed by a rise in terror attacks, the killing of civilians and security officers by the PKK, and the operations against the PKK, which target both inside Turkey and across the border.
The latest bomb attack in Ankara this month, which is the deadliest terrorist attack in Turkey's recent history resulting in more than a hundred killed and over 500 injured, increased security concerns in Turkey. Political parties temporarily suspended their campaign activities for the elections, which already have not been as big as the campaigns we are used to, but the confrontation between the parties have continued rather than uniting against terror. HDP Co-Chair Selahattin Demirtaş accused the Turkish government for the bombing in the country's capital, while investigations revealed that the suicide bombers were linked to the notorious Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) terrorists, and that there were obscure hands other than ISIS involved. The discourse chosen by opposition party leaders like Demirtaş following the terror attacks makes it difficult to foresee the future of the Turkish-Kurdish reconciliation process which has been suspended just two years after its start, as well as the near future of the country, which has been seriously affected from the ongoing civil war and violence in its neighbor country, Syria.
The public opinion in the country is mostly that there is a connection between the violence in Syria and the increasing terror attacks in Turkey. Turkey, which hosts the world's largest refugee population, has so far spent more than $7.5 billion caring for over 2 million Syrians who have fled from the Assad regime's barrel bombs and ISIS violence. Thanks to its strong economy and stable political position, Turkey could be able to handle the problem directly and alone. However, the delay to form a four-year government risks Turkey's abilities and makes the country instable.
The Western media didn't refrain from showing their contentment with the results of Turkey's June 7 elections. The Independent's Patrick Cockburn, for example, wrote on June 8; "Overall, however, the image of President Erdoğan and the AK Party as an unstoppable juggernaut has been damaged, and Turkey will be a weaker and more inward looking state then it was before." We have read many other similar commentaries and news reports with ecstatic titles.
However, in a globalized world, Turkey's problems are not just Turkey's. A "weaker and more inward looking" Turkey may please many in the West, but it would only last a very short while. Turkey stands as a buffer zone between the West and the Middle East, and successfully came through the hard work with its strong and stable presence. Even if a safe zone, which Turkey has long aimed to have established, would be set up inside Syria, Turkey will still continue to stand as a buffer. But if Turkey becomes an instable and insecure country, Europe will be next. Even now Europe doesn't know how to deal with the 700,000 refugees who have reached the shores of Europe; it's hard to imagine what they will do after a huge influx if Turkey loses its strength and stability. That is why Turkey's upcoming elections are important for the West and the Middle East, as much as it is for Turkey.
The last parliamentary elections were on June 7, 2015. Four parties were elected into Parliament, with the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) securing 258 seats, the Republican People's Party (CHP) 132 seats, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) securing 80 seats each. The AK Party couldn't get the majority to form a single-party government for the first time since 2002. Also, the pro-Kurdish HDP entered Parliament as a party for the first time, passing the 10 percent threshold. Since the coalition negotiations failed, Turkey had to go to early elections.
In the meantime, in June, 10 days after the outlawed PKK declared an end to the cease-fire with Turkey, the suicide bombing in Suruç, a town in southeastern Turkey's Şanlıurfa province, killed 32 people and injured more than a hundred. This was followed by a rise in terror attacks, the killing of civilians and security officers by the PKK, and the operations against the PKK, which target both inside Turkey and across the border.
The latest bomb attack in Ankara this month, which is the deadliest terrorist attack in Turkey's recent history resulting in more than a hundred killed and over 500 injured, increased security concerns in Turkey. Political parties temporarily suspended their campaign activities for the elections, which already have not been as big as the campaigns we are used to, but the confrontation between the parties have continued rather than uniting against terror. HDP Co-Chair Selahattin Demirtaş accused the Turkish government for the bombing in the country's capital, while investigations revealed that the suicide bombers were linked to the notorious Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) terrorists, and that there were obscure hands other than ISIS involved. The discourse chosen by opposition party leaders like Demirtaş following the terror attacks makes it difficult to foresee the future of the Turkish-Kurdish reconciliation process which has been suspended just two years after its start, as well as the near future of the country, which has been seriously affected from the ongoing civil war and violence in its neighbor country, Syria.
The public opinion in the country is mostly that there is a connection between the violence in Syria and the increasing terror attacks in Turkey. Turkey, which hosts the world's largest refugee population, has so far spent more than $7.5 billion caring for over 2 million Syrians who have fled from the Assad regime's barrel bombs and ISIS violence. Thanks to its strong economy and stable political position, Turkey could be able to handle the problem directly and alone. However, the delay to form a four-year government risks Turkey's abilities and makes the country instable.
The Western media didn't refrain from showing their contentment with the results of Turkey's June 7 elections. The Independent's Patrick Cockburn, for example, wrote on June 8; "Overall, however, the image of President Erdoğan and the AK Party as an unstoppable juggernaut has been damaged, and Turkey will be a weaker and more inward looking state then it was before." We have read many other similar commentaries and news reports with ecstatic titles.
However, in a globalized world, Turkey's problems are not just Turkey's. A "weaker and more inward looking" Turkey may please many in the West, but it would only last a very short while. Turkey stands as a buffer zone between the West and the Middle East, and successfully came through the hard work with its strong and stable presence. Even if a safe zone, which Turkey has long aimed to have established, would be set up inside Syria, Turkey will still continue to stand as a buffer. But if Turkey becomes an instable and insecure country, Europe will be next. Even now Europe doesn't know how to deal with the 700,000 refugees who have reached the shores of Europe; it's hard to imagine what they will do after a huge influx if Turkey loses its strength and stability. That is why Turkey's upcoming elections are important for the West and the Middle East, as much as it is for Turkey.
Last Update: October 29, 2015 02:10