[This is a roundup of news articles and other materials circulating on Turkey and reflects a wide variety of opinions. It does not reflect the views of the Turkey Page Editors or of Jadaliyya. You may send your own recommendations for inclusion in each week`s roundup to turkey@jadaliyya.com by Sunday night of every week.]
English
Election Results and the Prospects for A Coalition
What`s Next for Turkey? (1) - (2) According to Cengiz Çandar, the internal strife within the AKP and the seeming impossibility of a coalition that includes the AKP makes it appear to be “a shell-shocked political force in decline.”
The Turkish Election Is Turning the Tides Can Candan argues that the election was particularly a victory for women and LGBTI people, two groups that were targeted by Erdoğan and the AKP during the election campaign.
Election Results and the Aftermath (1) - (2) Etyen Mahçupyan suggests that, in spite of the decrease in the AKP’s power in parliament, it remains the most important and powerful political party for the foreseeable future.
Nation Hits the Brakes, Calls for Balance Osman Can claims that the election results “indicate that the Turkish people are not looking for a strong alternative” to the AKP, even though the HDP’s success prevented the possibility of a single-party AKP government.
7 Scenarios: What Awaits Turkey as Ruling AK Party Loses Parliamentary Majority in Elections? Didem Atakan weighs the prospect of different minority governments or coalition governments, and the potential that each one may come into being.
What Will Turkish Elections Bring for Syrian Refugees? Merve Şebnem Oruç examines the different parties’ approaches to the Syrian refugee crisis in Turkey, suggesting that the AKP’s loss in the election forebodes trouble for Syrian refugees.
5 Surprising Results of Turkey`s Election Emre Kızılkaya writes about the ways in which the 7 June elections have transformed Turkish politics by bringing about more diverse and more holistic representation and ushering in the rise of a vibrant left wing.
Erdoğan Is the Election`s Biggest Loser Speculating about what the AKP could have done differently over the past couple years to change the course of the 7 June election, Mehmet Y. Yılmaz argues that the HDP was the only real winner of the election.
The Day After: AK Party Remains in the Driver`s Seat (1) - (2) - (3) İlnur Çevik suggests that the elections and the difficulty of forging a coalition will lead to an impasse in the Kurdish peace process and in parliamentary politics that will likely lead to an early election.
Election Results: Towards an Early Election? (1) - (2) Kılıç Buğra Kanat claims that the political memory of coalition governments in Turkey, coupled with the tensions among the parties, may make forming a coalition government extraordinarily difficult.
The Scenarios Being Discussed in Ankara (1) - (2) According to Abdülkadir Selvi, any sign of divisions within the AKP may “cost the country dearly,” so all political parties should work towards building a coalition government.
Three Basic Reasons for the Election Results Describing the causes of the unexpected election results, Özlem Albayrak contends that the campaigns of the opposition parties increased “ethnic sensitivity” in Turkey.
It`s the Economy Stupid, Or Is It? Abdülkadir Civan argues that the economy did not become the primary determiner of the election, nor did the AKP lose the election because voters wanted to punish them for economic decline.
A Restoration Government Needed Bülent Keneş suggests that it may be possible for the opposition parties in Parliament to undo the controversial laws put into effect by the AKP before a potential early election took place.
Erdoğan Will Have to Give Up on the Presidential System Mümtazer Türköne claims that while the election results are ushering in an end to AKP authoritarianism, Erdoğan nonetheless remains a “sword of Damocles for any possible government.”
Pro-Government Media Blame `External Forces` for AKP`s Loss (1) - (2) Semih İdiz examines how various journalists and newspapers affiliated with the ruling party have tried to vindicate the decline in the AKP’s votes and its power in parliament by arguing that there are domestic and international actors working against Turkey and the AKP.
Diyarbakır Celebrates after HDP Election Breakthrough Mahmut Bozarslan explores the impact of the election on Diyarbakır, where celebrations for the HDP’s success were followed by police violence and crackdowns on protests.
One Other Winner of the Elections: Vote and Beyond Gila Benmayor describes the “Vote and Beyond” initiative, which came to prominence during the election campaign and used volunteers to ensure the integrity of voting and tallying at polling stations across Turkey.
Turkey’s CHP Should Stick to Its New Strategy, But Maybe Not Its Leader Özgür Korkmaz argues that the CHP’s prioritization of the economy in the election helped keep it afloat in spite of the troubled legacy that Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and the senior CHP officials represent.
`We Have to Think of the Whole of Turkey, Not Just the Kurds` Frederike Geerdink interviews HDP and AKP politicians based in Diyarbakır about what different coalition scenarios might mean for the Kurdish peace process.
Post-Election Turkey: Now What? Burak Bekdil examines international responses to the elections in Turkey and weighs a number of different scenarios under which a coalition might emerge.
Postelection High in Turkey’s Kurdish Regions Fades amid Violence Ayla Albayrak and Joe Parkinson discuss the outbreaks of violence in Diyarbakır following the election and the potential impact it may have on the Kurdish peace process, the formation of a coalition government, and the legitimacy of the HDP.
The Influence of The Elections on Turkish Democracy Yahya Bostan claims that, by passing the ten percent electoral threshold, the HDP is threatening to undermine the Kurdish reconciliation process undertaken by the AKP.
No Room for Coalition without AK Party (1) - (2) Tulu Gümüştekin argues that it would be an unwise political move for a coalition to be formed without the AKP because of the wide margins by which the AKP won the election.
EU Should Hail Turkey Poll Results Serkan Demirtaş calls upon the EU to praise not only the Turkish election results but also the civil society initiatives used to maintain the election’s integrity in order to stimulate EU negotiations and strengthen democratic institutions in the country.
Turkey Already Longs for Stability Melih Altınok suggests that attempting to create a coalition government will lead to political impasses, the only solution for which is the presidential system proposed by Erdoğan.
The Real Test for HDP Started… Markar Esayan questions the HDP’s commitment to the peace process by speculating that the post-election violence in Diyarbakır was initiated by the PKK and abetted by the HDP.
Erdoğan`s Baykal Move before Davutoğlu Coalition Talks - (2) - (3) Murat Yetkin describes the meeting between President Erdoğan and Deniz Baykal, former chair of the CHP, along with the impact it might have on the different options for a coalition government.
Two Possible Coalitions in The Future According to İsmet Berkan, the Speaker of Parliament, who will be selected approximately two weeks after the election, will give a sense of what kind of coalition will be formed.
How Can a Government Be Formed? Nagehan Alçı suggests that the difficulty with which the three opposition parties will try to form a government is a reminder of how troubled Turkish politics was before the AKP.
In Turkey, A Perfect Storm Gathers on The Horizon According to Jerome Roos, the supposed economic miracle of Turkey in the past thirteen years was built on an unsustainable credit bubble that is threatening to unravel in the unstable post-election environment, dealing a further blow to the AKP and its platform built on economic stability.
A Coalition and Parties Hayrettin Karaman encourages the AKP to refrain from participating in the formation of a coalition government in order to capitalize upon the political tensions among the other three parties in an early election.
Why Did the AKP Fail This Time? Mustafa Akyol argues that the Turkish electorate showed President Erdoğan a “yellow card,” and that they must be wary as they call for normalization in order to sustain the momentum coming out of the election’s unexpected results.
Eyes Return to Turkish Military after Elections Metin Gürcan interviews a number of senior officers in the Turkish military, most of whom express dismay at the HDP’s success, which may herald a return of the military to the domain of Turkish politics and governance.
The HDP`s Next Best Move Dlawer Ala’Aldeen claims that it is in the HDP’s best interest to engage with the AKP in discussing and negotiating a possible coalition government in order to improve domestic politics along with Turkey’s ongoing relationship with Iraqi Kurdistan.
What Will Happen If the AKP and MHP Form a Coalition Government? Emre Uslu speculates that the AKP wants to form a coalition with the MHP to dominate the nationalistic party, and assimilate its support base into its ranks.
Turkish
Election Results and the Prospects for a Coalition
Bekir Ağırdır: Erken seçimi zorlarsa AKP çok daha fena çakılır, HDP kesinlikle kazançlı çıkar! An extensive interview with Bekir Ağırdır, the head of the trusted polling company KONDA, on what the election results mean for the four parties and politics in the country.
Zafer ve iki HDP Foti Benlisoy argues that the election success should be furthered by continued mobilization against the authoritarian neoliberal system, not by the “normalization” of HDP politics.
HDP’nin programına evet diyen muhafazakârlar, kadın, Alevi ve LGBTİ’lerle eşitliğe de evet diyor Nazan Üstündağ claims that conservatives who voted for the HDP’s principles also voted for the equal rights for women, Alevites, and LGBTI individuals.
Doç. Dr. Cem Özatalay: Erdoğan bir kumar oynadı ve kaybetti According to Cem Özatalay, Associate Professor at Galatasaray University, Erdoğan gambled with the presidential system campaign without the full consent of his party and electorate, and he lost.
AKP’de patron kim?.. Hâlâ Tayyip Erdoğan mı, yoksa... (1) - (2) - (3) Hasan Cemal thinks that Erdoğan should act within the limits of a Turkish President as defined by law for the normalization of politics in the country.
HDP bu toprakların bağrından doğan güzel bir projedir According to Oya Baydar, the HDP is an authentic project that aims for regional peace and justice; not a project prepared by foreign actors, as leading AKP politicians like to argue.
HDP’nin ‘emanetleri’ ve Öcalan’a teşekkür “The main determining factor behind the HDP’s thirteen percent success has been the support of conservative Kurds, not the coalition composed with the leftists, liberals, Armenians and the Alevites,” says Aram Ekin Duran.
Kobane`nin önemini şimdi anlamışsındır herhalde! Celal Baslangıç observes that Erdoğan’s hostile attitude against the Kobane resistance led to a decrease in support from the Kurdish electorate by revealing his true stance about the Kurdish question in the region.
Dindarlar değişen sosyolojiyi anlıyor mu? According to Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu, Muslim conservatives who vote for the AKP fail to see that Kurds now disfavor politicians who portray their political rights as secondary, as they did with the AKP in the recent election.
Seçimi, halkların özgür yaşam projesi kazandı “The main reasons behind the AKP’s defeat are the instrumentalization of the Kurdish problem while pretending to solve it, fighting with the Kurds everywhere—mainly in Rojava—,insulting and othering everyone who is not them—Yezidis, Alevites, Christians, etc.—, and attempting to found a fascist dictatorship under the discourse of `New Turkey,`” says KCK (Kurdistan Communities Union) Executive Council Co-chair Besê Hozat.
Demokratik ulus porjesinin zaferi Hüseyin Ali rejects the idea that some of the votes the HDP earned in this election were “borrowed votes.”
On hızlı not: Kürtlerin sistemin merkezine yolculuğu Ruşen Çakır asserts that the June elections mark “Kurds’ journey to the center of the system.”
Türkiye`nin `imkânsız` koalisyonları Alper Görmüş lists the seemingly “impossible” coalitions in Turkish political history to avoid calling current scenarios impossible.
Seçime 16 bakış Academics, journalists, and authors analyze the outcome of the elections, coalition scenarios, each party’s performance, and the future of the peace process.
Ekinci: `HDP`nin koalisyon ortağı olmuyorum deme hakkı yok` Tarık Ziya Ekinci thinks the HDP must not categorically oppose forming a coalition with other parties.
Hatip Dicle`den Türkiye bayraklarına: Barajı yıkan yolun 10 kilometre taşı Hakkı Özdal lists ten pivotal events that led to exceeding of the ten percent election threshold by consolidating Kurdish voters and incorporating Turks who supported the Gezi protests.
Davutoğlu`nu asıl düşündüren Erdoğan According to Murat Yetkin, what constitutes an important concern for Davutoğlu is whether Erdoğan will internalize the rejection of the presidential system evident by the outcome of the elections.
Sermayenin “Büyük Koalisyon” Formülü: AKP-CHP Ümit Akçay argues that capital, including organizations like Turkish Industrialists` and Businessmen`s Association (TÜSİAD) and economists like Kemal Derviş, wants the AKP and CHP to form a coalition.
Sadece "Tek Adam"a değil AKP`li iktidara da "hayır"... (1) - (2) Cengiz Çandar thinks that limiting Erdoğan’s one-man rule should not be the only condition to forming a coalition; the AKP should go through restructuring to clear its name from corruption charges, serving obediently to Erdoğan’s dictatorial ambitions, and the controversial domestic security bill.
TOMA yapan şirketin hisseleri borsada neden dip yaptı? Güven Sak claims that the ten percent dip in the stock shares of a (anti-riot) water cannon vehicle producer company shows expectations of softening in politics after the election results.
AKP neden kaybetti? Necati Özkan thinks the AKP lost because it exceeded the time needed to deal with the enemies it created, and to bring stability to political life as desired by the electorate.
HDP ve Kürdlerin temsil zaferi Mücahit Bilici thinks that the elections marked a Kurdish revolution in Turkish democracy: Kurds have now been included in the Turkish democracy as a “third public.”
AKP Kürtleri HDP’ye baraj aştırdı According to Burhan Ekinci, Kurds who voted for the AKP in the past elections shifted to the HDP and became the main driving force of the HDP’s exceeding of the anti-democratic ten percent threshold.
"Yoksullar üzerinde kurulan AKP illüzyonu dağılıyor" An interview with the economist Ali Bilge, who argues that the social state illusion created to attract the poor has shattered, and people started feeling the impact of worsening economic conditions.
AK Parti bu kez neden kaybetti? “The Islamists who need the AK Party state and leader cannot play the role of a rational and critical constituent. The AK Party lacks civic, social, and intellectual dynamics that would reason about losing power, and develop rational exit strategies and models,” states İhsan Dağı.
Türkiye’nin bütün ırgatları, birleşin! (1) - (2) Murat Sevinç wishes the three opposition parties would form a coalition to fight the corruption and deterioration in state institutions.
Erdoğan’ın stratejisini kim bozacak? (1) - (2) According to Levent Gültekin, Erdoğan wants to create an image of himself as the only eager and open politician to work for stability and the opposition parties as unable to rule the country, and he argues that opposition parties should give Erdoğan`s game away by forming a coalition government.
Kobane’den Sana’ya, işçiden bankere seçim ve koalisyon Adnan Gümüş thinks the strong coalition scenarios would work to the benefit of capital, while “weak” coalition governments or the absence of a governmental solution would be more beneficial for the people.
Erdoğan değişir gibi yapar ancak değişmez; aklında erken seçim tilkileri dolaşıyor! Hasan Cemal claims that Erdoğan’s moderate post-election statements are only pretend, and what he aims for is an early election.
Deniz Baykal-Erdoğan ortaklığı Hüseyin Ali claims that the Erdoğan-Baykal meeting was aimed to consensualize on the Kurdish issue so that a potential AKP-CHP coalition would start a crackdown on the Kurdish movement.
Kaos senaryosu boşa çıksın, ülke kazansın! Nuray Mert condemns the stance in the AKP ranks that wants to create political chaos by refraining from forming a coalition and preparing the ideological ground for a one-party regime.
Türkiye’nin siyaset alanında sembolik devrim According to Aksu Akçaoğlu, the HDP did not only end one-party rule; it also triggered a symbolic revolution that transformed the pre-election political sphere into a democratic habitus.
AKP’yle koalisyona girmenin bedelleri İrfan Aktan argues that the parties who form a coalition with the AKP will experience a major decrease in support in the next elections.
9.8`den 13.1`e; Bu dalga erken seçimle durulmaz! Vedat İlbeyoğlu states the unravelling of conventional politics in the country means the support for the HDP will continue to increase in the event of an early election.
Koalisyona ‘derin devlet’ dokunması! (1) - (2) İhsan Çaralan thinks the Erdoğan-Baykal meeting is a “deep state” intervention that favors the interests of capital, and no coalition solution would work unless Erdoğan’s influence is restrained to the conventional limits of a President.
Seçim sonuçları ve Diyarbakır katliamı Muzaffer Ayata talks about the killing of the head of İHYA-DER in Diyarbakir, and thinks the Turkish state uses (Turkish) Hizbullah whenever it is in a tight corner.
PKK- Hizbullah çatışması mı Taner Akçam proposes that PKK and Hizbullah call a joint press meeting to invalidate the provocations that aim to reinstate violence and conflict in the region.
Diyarbakır’a dikkat! Yüksel Taşkın underlies that the public wants to continue the peace process, and that all parties involved are more experienced and organized, all of which frustrate the provocation attempts in Diyarbakır.
Published on Jadaliyya
First Thoughts on the Elections in Turkey: A Roundtable
Refugees in Turkey: Implications of Increasing Politicization
HDP’nin programina evet diyen muhafazakarlar, kadin, Alevi ve LGBTI’lerle esitlige de evet diyor
Press Freedom on Trial in Turkey: A Statement from BirGun