Turkish right wins third election

by Ali Haligua

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is the first Prime Minister in Turkish history to win three elections in a row.

Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) won nearly 50 per cent of the vote, but did not reach its goal of 330 seats, which would have enabled it to write a new constitution without the support of the other parties in parliament. The new constitution will replace the one imposed by the military coup in 1980.

The AKP is a conservative party with a record of implementing neoliberal economic policies. Its popularity comes from economic stability and the perception that the government is challenging the power of the military and “cleaning the state mechanisms.” Despite the global economic crisis, Turkey has had seven per cent annual economic growth under the AKP, becoming the world’s 17th largest economy.

The AKP has jailed four-star generals who plotted a military takeover, and prosecuted a clandestine right wing group of senior military officials.

Kurdish MPs increased their seats from 21 to 35, and have taken all the seats in a number of Kurdish provinces. Formerly imprisoned Kurdish politician Leyla Zana returns to Parliament.

The Kurdish movement will press their demands for regional autonomy, education in their own tongue and the release of thousands of imprisoned Kurdish politicians. Thousands of villages were razed and depopulated by military operations and 50,000 people have been killed since 1984.

The mainstream media is more open now, so violations of the economic, social and cultural rights of the Kurdish people are widely visible. A new constitution will have to recognize all ethnic groups as equal citizens and grant all their democratic rights.

The AKP will try to slow democratization and give the Kurds as little as possible. A peaceful solution is only possible with a supportive voice from the west side of Turkey. How far Turkey changes depends on pressure from below, both from the Kurdish movement and from the left.