Wednesday, July 25, 2007, #140 (1407)

Turkish Election Results Good for Regional Stability and Cooperation
By M. Alkhazashvili
(Translated by Diana Dundua)

Many are summing up the Justice and Development party’s (AKP) win in Turkey’s Sunday parliamentary elections as a vote for the economic and democratic reforms and a continued pro-Western approach. It’s also widely seen as a vote of confidence from the Turkish people that despite the fact the ruling party is Islamic, they are not afraid of losing their democracy.

With approximately 46.5 percent of the votes (up from the 34 percent in the 2002 elections), most consider the ruling party has gained a strong mandate to continue implementing its economic policies and continue its course towards the EU.

According Turkey expert Steven Cook, speaking in an interview with the Council on Foreign Relations, this was as much as five percentage points higher than even the most optimistic polls. He also adds that the turnout was estimated at 80 percent of all eligible voters. The party secured 340 seats in Turkey’s 550-seat parliament, falling short of a two-third majority, the number needed to make constitutional changes.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said on Monday that the results gave Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s re-elected party a “strong mandate for its policy of reforms of the economy and the society and obviously also a mandate for its process toward Europe.”

Though some Turks are concerned that Turkey’s secular status is at threat from an Islamist party, they seem to hold a minority opinion. The main secular party, the Republican People’s Party, gained only 20.9 percent of the vote in the election and will hold 111 seats.

Many believe the results of the election are in large part a backlash against events in late April when the military prevented the AKP from electing Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul as president. In April, the military said in so many words that someone like Gul with his background and wife (who wears a hijab [head dress]) would be unacceptable to step foot in the presidential palace. It is forbidden by law for anyone to wear religious dress in official government buildings.

The people, comfortable with the economy and feeling no threat to their democracy reacted negatively to the military’s interference which in the end appeared more of a threat to the country’s democratic principles than the AKP.

“Turkey passed a very serious exam in democracy that can be an example for the whole world,” stated Erdogan after the elections results were clear on July 23.

Georgian analysts say the ruling party’s victory means that Turkey’s policy towards Georgia will not change. Many agree that Turkish opposition forces are exaggerating the threat to Turkey’s secularism.
Political analyst Giorgi Khutsishvili says that the Islamic party’s success can complicate Turkey’s EU integration if the party begins to act more as a religious party than secular one but he says this is unlikely. He says other political forces and influential business circles in Turkey will ensure it doesn’t because they are interested in EU integration, the news agency Regnum writes.

Cook agrees that the ruling party won’t become more “religious,” arguing that they want to normalize religion in Turkish politics and make it more similar to the role it plays in America. They want a system in which people can pray and wear whatever religious items they want and neutralize it as an issue in politics.

And with the secularism of Turkey not in danger, Georgia has nothing but good to gain from another term of the AKP dominating the political scene. Georgia has benefited from cooperation on economic projects over the last few years with the AKP party at the reigns including on the BTC oil pipeline as well as the new Baku–Akhalkalaki–Kars railway project. Turkish investment has also been on the rise. The AKP remaining in power will be nothing but good for the stability of the regional alliances formed and continued prosperous collaboration.



© The Messenger. All rights reserved. Please read our disclaimer before using any of the published materials.