Law of political gravity remains in place
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Oluşturulma Tarihi: Mart 31, 2009 00:00
The wave of analysis inevitable in the wake of so many surprises in Sunday’s elections is yet to crest, but we would offer a few observations gathered from around the Daily News newsroom(s) on an understandably groggy Monday.
Our candidate for the most astute comment on the election is that of Sedat Ergin, the editor-in-chief of Milliyet and a columnist here. "This election shows that the political laws of gravity remain in place," he opined. Surveying today’s headlines, our candidate for the best goes to our sister newspaper Radikal: "Just one minute, declares the public."
Now the question is, "now what?" A few thoughts from our team: In Antalya, the loser is not Menderes Türel, the popular ex-mayor who ran beneath the banner of the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP. It is the AKP itself that failed to understand the unique dynamics of the nation’s fourth largest city.
In Diyarbakır, the results make clear the Democratic Society Party, or DTP, is hardly the spent force the AKP assumed. The results also say that the hearts and minds of Turkey’s Kurds cannot be had with Kurdish language broadcasts or hand-outs of refrigerators that are cynically inspired.
In Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir, the deep penetration of former AKP strongholds by both the Republican People’s Party, or CHP, and the National Movement Party, or MHP, signal further erosion of the assumptions driving analysis of Turkey in recent years. And the rising start of the CHP’s Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu will be the one to watch. The AKP, we hope, will be taking the message of the electorate to heart. We expect changes in its strategy and also in the Cabinet. We expect rumblings from within the party in favor of early elections for the clear reason that the longer it waits the more likely the political balance will change.
As we have said many times before, economic measures need to be taken sooner rather than later. It was a failing economy in 2001 that carried the AKP to single-party rule in 2002. The party’s once-growing support is now diminishing and the neglect of the economy by the prime minister has much to do with this.
We advocate keeping an eye on the Islamist Saadet (Felicity) Party. It may be the most serious threat to AKP longevity and we would note its performance suggests it has neared the electoral threshold that would allow it to enter Parliament in a general election.
The voters have spoken eloquently on behalf of stability and a politics of maturity. Voters have said they care about cultural identity. They said they care about the economy. They said they care about religious beliefs, but don’t want these sentiments abused. And they have also said throughout the country, that secularism is not just a value of the leafy precincts of Istanbul or Ankara but a national value held dear.
Now the question is, "now what?" A few thoughts from our team: In Antalya, the loser is not Menderes Türel, the popular ex-mayor who ran beneath the banner of the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP. It is the AKP itself that failed to understand the unique dynamics of the nation’s fourth largest city.
In Diyarbakır, the results make clear the Democratic Society Party, or DTP, is hardly the spent force the AKP assumed. The results also say that the hearts and minds of Turkey’s Kurds cannot be had with Kurdish language broadcasts or hand-outs of refrigerators that are cynically inspired.
In Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir, the deep penetration of former AKP strongholds by both the Republican People’s Party, or CHP, and the National Movement Party, or MHP, signal further erosion of the assumptions driving analysis of Turkey in recent years. And the rising start of the CHP’s Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu will be the one to watch. The AKP, we hope, will be taking the message of the electorate to heart. We expect changes in its strategy and also in the Cabinet. We expect rumblings from within the party in favor of early elections for the clear reason that the longer it waits the more likely the political balance will change.
As we have said many times before, economic measures need to be taken sooner rather than later. It was a failing economy in 2001 that carried the AKP to single-party rule in 2002. The party’s once-growing support is now diminishing and the neglect of the economy by the prime minister has much to do with this.
We advocate keeping an eye on the Islamist Saadet (Felicity) Party. It may be the most serious threat to AKP longevity and we would note its performance suggests it has neared the electoral threshold that would allow it to enter Parliament in a general election.
The voters have spoken eloquently on behalf of stability and a politics of maturity. Voters have said they care about cultural identity. They said they care about the economy. They said they care about religious beliefs, but don’t want these sentiments abused. And they have also said throughout the country, that secularism is not just a value of the leafy precincts of Istanbul or Ankara but a national value held dear.