Article Scan – 2014: Turkey’s year of destiny
2014: Turkey’s year of destiny (MURAT YETKİN)
It is no secret that Turkey is entering a new year with heavy problems inherited from 2013. It is also no secret that there will be at least two, maybe three, elections in Turkey in 2014.
The first will be the local elections on March 30. This time, it’s about a bit more than just electing mayors. The overall performances of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Parti) and main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) will provide an important bellwether for the next two elections; the two-round presidential one in August of this year and the general elections, which are planned for June 2015 but might take place earlier, that is, in 2014, depending on the political and economic circumstances.
The AK Parti and CHP will be in a competition for big cities like Istanbul and Ankara (held by the AK Parti) and İzmir (held by the CHP). The competition in the predominantly Kurdish southeast will be between the AK Parti and the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), which is focused on the Kurdish problem. The Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) will try to take back its votes from the AK Parti in Central Anatolia, the inner Aegean and Black Sea regions. None of them are easy tasks.
This is because …
Turkey’s Economic Vulnerability Exposed as Graft Divides (By Benjamin Harvey and Selcan Hacaoglu)
Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan entered the last week of 2013 reeling from a corruption probe that has splintered his party and highlighted economic vulnerabilities as investors unload the nation’s risk.
Erdogan took the defense of his administration to the road over the weekend, addressing supporters at six election rallies and lashing out at prosecutors heading the graft investigation, which his Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek called a “soft coup.” Flyers for the ruling Justice and Development, or AK Party, say it’s in a “struggle for liberation” as it seeks a fourth term in power.
Graft allegations led to the removal last week of four cabinet ministers and undermined two of Erdogan’s strongest arguments for continued leadership: his Islamic-rooted party’s claim to purity and its stewardship of the $822 billion economy. While Erdogan led Turkey, a North Atlantic Treaty Organization member and European Union candidate, to triple its nominal gross domestic product over the past 11 years, an explosion in private debt over that period pushed the current-account deficit to records, increasing susceptibility to capital outflows when risk perception rises.
PERSON OF THE YEAR PM Recep Tayyip Erdoğan: Only man in town (SEVGİ AKARÇEŞME)
Without a doubt, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan deserves the title of person of the year in Turkey, given his growing influence — and interference — in the lives and fates of Turkey’s citizens, from drinking habits to parents’ educational choices. Over a dozen TV channels now carry live coverage of every speech the prime minister makes.
With his unexpected remarks in traditional areas of governance from European Union membership to foreign policy Erdoğan surprised many domestic and foreign observers throughout 2013, a year that he started with ambitious domestic and regional goals but ended mired in problems both at home and abroad.
It’s safe to assume that Erdoğan remains an unchallenged political figure both in his party and in the larger political landscape; the country’s opposition is incredibly weak in the face of his dominant style of governance. His popularity remains high, although he has alienated various segments of society, starting with the Gezi Park protests that rattled the country in the second half of the year. Anti-Erdoğan sentiment was evident in the Gezi protests. However, instead of accommodating his moderate opponents, Erdoğan further antagonized them by calling the protesters looters and even “piteous rodents.” Although they were suppressed with excessive force, the Gezi protests marked the end of Erdoğan’s bid to switch to a presidential system, which faced growing opposition. Toward the end of the year, Erdoğan called the sympathizers of the Hizmet movement “the other party” and “a gang” as tensions with the group soared over the his decision to close Turkey’s prep schools, which was seen as a blow to private enterprise and led many who had voted for the AK Party to reconsider their political loyalties.
Does Erdogan’s attack on judiciary reflect his view of Turkish democracy? (Tülin DALOGLU)
Turkey ends 2013 with a massive corruption scandal centering on the country’s Islamist-oriented Justice and Development Party (AKP) cabinet ministers and potentially the family members of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Faced with a serious corruption scandal, Erdogan took a firm position against the criminal justice system. Muammer Akkas, the prosecutor who was overseeing the graft probe, was removed on Dec. 26. Akkas issued a written statement on the same day directly accusing the Erdogan government of interfering with the judiciary. He called upon all those responsible in the judicial system to take a stand in favor of upholding the highest standards of the rule of law.
“Court orders have not been carried out and there has been open pressure on the judicial process from both the chief prosecutor’s office and the police force, which is supposed to carry out the decisions of the courts,” Akkas wrote in his statement.
MORE: : http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/12/turkey-stability-faces-test-2014.html
