Since president Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s AKP lost its absolute mandate in the parliamentary election five months ago, Turkey has faced a litany of challenges: fighting has resumed with the outlawed Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK), its foreign policy has been problematic, the country suffered the worst terrorist attack in its history, the economy has been faltering and there appears to be deep polarisation across the social spectrum.
Despite these issues, however, the AKP was vindicated at the polls on Sunday. The party’s gamble to push for snap elections instead of forming a coalition government has paid off and Turkey will return to rule under a single party. Even though Mr Erdogan is no longer in parliament, this election was seen as another referendum on his rule. Turnout was nearly 87 per cent among the 54 million people eligible to vote. In other words, the Turkish people have spoken and now the difficult work begins in earnest.
The AKP succeeded at the polls by marketing itself as a security-minded party of stability and its leaders drew heavily on Turkey’s rapid economic growth under AKP rule in the early 2000s. At the same time, the government fought a war with PKK militants. Polling data shows that the AKP was able to lure voters from nationalist MHP supporters and even from older Kurdish voters in south-eastern Turkey. This shows most Turks believe Mr Erdogan and the AKP can put the country back on a secure and prosperous path.
However, Turkey finds itself facing a variety of new challenges that it simply can’t tackle alone. While Turkish voters want stability at home – like voters everywhere – the international community needs Ankara to work on regional threats such as ISIL and the Syrian civil war in a clear manner that reflects its desire to embrace its responsibilities.
A stable Turkey, ready to participate in regional efforts to confront problems such as ISIL, is key for the region. Now that the election is over and the mandate is clear, it is time for Ankara to forge a cooperative foreign policy nimble enough to respond quickly to any new challenge. Above all else, it is in Turkey’s interest.
