Parliamentary Elections in Turkey

Ruling Party Wins

The elections were initiated after the opposition parties in the parliament prevented the AK Party from appointing Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul as a President. But Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP) rose from 34% in the 2002 election to nearly 47% of votes this time, according to preliminary results. It marks the first time in 52 years that Turks have voted an incumbent party back into power with even more support than before


By AYCA YARCI
from Ankara, TURKEY


On July 22nd people in Turkey brought the incumbent Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan a resounding victory in the elections, defeating the secularist opposition that sought to topple Erdogan - whose Islamist roots, they fear, pose a threat to the country's secular order.

This country had its survival elections and support for Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP) which rose from 34% in the 2002 election to nearly 47% of votes this time, according to the preliminary results. It marks the first time in 52 years that Turks have voted an incumbent party back into power with even more support than before.

The early elections were initiated in May after the opposition parties in the parliament prevented the AK Party from appointing Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul as a President. Gul, whose wife wears an Islamic-style headscarf, was opposed by the secularists because his presidency would remove any control of on the AKP, and he, they fear, harbours a secret agenda to turn Turkey into an Iranian style theocracy. Members of the AKP deny those claims, saying they have moved away from the early Islamist roots and pointing out the successful five-year track record in office. The secularist party in the parliament, Republican People's Party (CHP) and the right-wing Homeland Party (ANAP) didn't participate in the presidential elections so that AKP couldn't get enough majority and CHP appealed for cancellation of the elections's results to the Constitution Law Court and proved to be right.

There had occured another important event. The military reacted really sharp to the Abdullah Gul's nomination for president and made a declaration announcing them to be the protection of the secularist system and readiness to undertake action needed for that. That was a really clear reaction showing determination to protect the Ataturk's principles against the religious region. After that AKP decided to have the early elections. But all this chaos caused some people to think that there was an injustice causing at this deadlock and needed to be punished at the early elections. That's why AKP increased its votes so much, some analysts think.

And again there had been lots of mass protests in Ankara, Istanbul, Izmir and the other big cities, by the secularist people. The slogans of people met there (re)sounded all over the country and gave hope for better days in the future. Despite all this it is clear that they couldn't express their reaction enough because 47% of the Turkish people supported AKP. And the Prime Minister's Erdogan's party had far outdistanced the main secularist opposition - People's Republican Party (CHP) - which trailed with 20% of the votes. It was a shattering defeat for the party, which had urged voters to defend the secular political system established in 1923 by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk against which they claim is the political Islam of Erdogan and his party. The right-wing Nationalist Action Party (MHP) won 14% of all the votes. Because of the 10% elections' grade the other parties couldn't manage to participate in the parliament.

After all, these percents mean that the AK Party's has 341 seats CHP has 112 seats and MHP 70 seats in the parliament,out of 550 places. After 16 years the pro-Kurdish politicians are again in the parliament with 23 deputies who were nominated as independent candidates.

Erdogan is viewed as benefiting from the booming economy, which has grown to 7% over the past five years, low inflation and stable currency. His campaign promised more economic, social and political reforms to bring Turkey in line with European Union standards, even though the country's bid for membership in the EU has lost much of its achievements amid because of European opposition.

Now the new election approaches. The presidential one. AK party leader Rejep Tajip Erdogan says that this means a big achievement for democracy and they won't abandon Gul's nomination for the presidency. The real question is whether MHP or the independent deputies would or would not support Gul. Concerning CHP, the community does not think they will take part in the elections or not support Gul. If they get the enough number of the votes for the elections which is 367 for the first and second sessions probably the new president will be announced as Abdullah Gul because there has not been an declaration for another nominee. And if Gul is elected he will be the first president of Turkey with a ban on wearing Islamic wife headscarf.

Turkey's current president, Ahmet Necdet Sezer, and the country's secularist establishment have vowed to resist what they regard as the Islamist agenda of the AKP. And it is not clear how the staunchly secularist military will react to the re-election of the AKP.