Most analysts laid most of the blame for the AKP’s poor results in Turkey’s parliamentary elections on president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, wrote Abdul Wahhab Badrakhan in the London-based newspaper Al Hayat.
They didn’t blame the party or the government, he added. For, it was Mr Erdogan, formerly a pillar of the AKP’s popularity, who became the cause of its decline. Though it won the most seats in parliament, it was still not enough to form a government.
The electoral test came at a bad time for Mr Erdogan, who has not completed even the first year of his seven-year presidential term. The AKP has had many achievements in the past 13 years, but Mr Erdogan’s erratic moves earned him many detractors, Badrakhan said.
But the fact that the party won the most seats means that nearly half the electorate still bet on the AKP, though a significant number of voters also wanted to warn the president against arrogance.
If anything, the poll results revealed that the electorate wanted the ruling party to stay in government so long as it modifies its modus operandi. This would mean checks and balances, including the aspiration to expand the president’s executive powers, no cover ups with regard to corruption allegations involving some AKP members and attempts to undermine the secular system. The traditional opposition, which is secular and nationalist, also blames the party for abandoning the attempt to join the European Union, the rash decision to support Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood and the involvement in Syria, Badrakhan noted.
Although analysts admit that the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) played a role in the AKP’s fall, they argued that this was inevitable as the Kurds could be expected to vote for a party that supports their cause. It was unlikely that they would do otherwise even though Mr Erdogan was the first politician to allow the party to take part in the political process and to dare to address the Kurdish issue.
Badrakhan went on to say that, for about a century, Turkey’s Kurds were looking for recognition. Now, thanks to the elections, that recognition has become a reality. Had president Erdogan not stopped half way through the settlement process, the election might have ended differently. The Kurds, after the election, have become a lobby. Although the HDP attracted many voters who wanted to thwart the efforts to move to the presidential system, it is cognisant of a basic fact: that fulfilling the Kurds’ demands is dependent on Mr Erdogan because there is no other leader who can make a deal with them.
All the signs point to a snap election, but rushing to it could bring even more dissatisfaction with the AKP to the fore.
Instead, Badrakhan suggested that the two available options must be exhausted: a coalition government, which only seems possible with the Kurdish party, or a minority government that functions as best as it can until the need for early elections becomes clear.
Writing for the Jordan-based daily Addustour, Oraib Al Rantawi argued that it is difficult to believe that president Erdogan was forced to admit electoral defeat. But soon enough, he probably overcame the shock and started to read summaries analysing the election results as just a “setback”.
Mr Erdogan is the kind of a leader who does not accept defeat easily. So he is certainly gearing up for one of his fiercest counter-attacks, the kind for which he is famous.
It’s true that he took four days – of silence – to accept the election results. And yes, he called on the parties to enter into a coalition government for the greater good and without thought to partisan politics. But many observers are on tenterhooks wondering what he is up to, said Al Rantawi. The president could ask the prime minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, to form a new government despite the defeat suffered by the AKP under his uncharismatic leadership. But the question is, will cross-party talks reflect serious efforts for the common good? Or will they be a sham to show the people that the AKP is observing both the formalities and the rules of democracy?
If the Turkish opposition rejects the AKP’s terms for forming a government, the president is unlikely to ask the second-biggest party, the Republican People’s Party, to form a government, given the mutual mistrust and the AKP’s fear that embarrassing “cases” involving the party, the role in Syria and ties with the Muslim Brotherhood might be opened.
If the opposition forms a government, Mr Erdogan’s political career will hang in the balance (some say the elections have already meant that he is finished as a leader).
Early elections might be Mr Erdogan’s last chance to stay in power. But there are no guarantees that the results would be any better than this time round and that the AKP would get to govern on its own, let alone increasing the president’s powers.
* Translated by Abdelhafid Ezzouitni
aezzouitni@thenational.ae
Confirmed bouts (more to be added)
Cory Sandhagen v Umar Nurmagomedov
Nick Diaz v Vicente Luque
Michael Chiesa v Tony Ferguson
Deiveson Figueiredo v Marlon Vera
Mackenzie Dern v Loopy Godinez
Tickets for the August 3 Fight Night, held in partnership with the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi, went on sale earlier this month, through www.etihadarena.ae and www.ticketmaster.ae.
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
The biog
Favourite books: 'Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Life' by Jane D. Mathews and ‘The Moment of Lift’ by Melinda Gates
Favourite travel destination: Greece, a blend of ancient history and captivating nature. It always has given me a sense of joy, endless possibilities, positive energy and wonderful people that make you feel at home.
Favourite pastime: travelling and experiencing different cultures across the globe.
Favourite quote: “In the future, there will be no female leaders. There will just be leaders” - Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook.
Favourite Movie: Mona Lisa Smile
Favourite Author: Kahlil Gibran
Favourite Artist: Meryl Streep
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Xpanceo
Started: 2018
Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality
Funding: $40 million
Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)
Company profile
Date started: January 2022
Founders: Omar Abu Innab, Silvia Eldawi, Walid Shihabi
Based: Dubai
Sector: PropTech / investment
Employees: 40
Stage: Seed
Investors: Multiple
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Results for Stage 2
Stage 2 Yas Island to Abu Dhabi, 184 km, Road race
Overall leader: Primoz Roglic SLO (Team Jumbo - Visma)
Stage winners: 1. Fernando Gaviria COL (UAE Team Emirates) 2. Elia Viviani ITA (Deceuninck - Quick-Step) 3. Caleb Ewan AUS (Lotto - Soudal)
The specs: 2018 Infiniti QX80
Price: base / as tested: Dh335,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 400hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.1L / 100km
The Transfiguration
Director: Michael O’Shea
Starring: Eric Ruffin, Chloe Levine
Three stars
If you go
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Nairobi, with fares starting from Dh1,695. The resort can be reached from Nairobi via a 35-minute flight from Wilson Airport or Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, or by road, which takes at least three hours.
The rooms
Rooms at Fairmont Mount Kenya range from Dh1,870 per night for a deluxe room to Dh11,000 per night for the William Holden Cottage.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Haltia.ai
Started: 2023
Co-founders: Arto Bendiken and Talal Thabet
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: AI
Number of employees: 41
Funding: About $1.7 million
Investors: Self, family and friends
MATCH INFO
Euro 2020 qualifier
Russia v Scotland, Thursday, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
Company profile
Company: Wafeq
Started: January 2019
Founder: Nadim Alameddine
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: software as a service
Funds raised: $3 million
Investors: Raed Ventures and Wamda, among others
Blonde
Director: Andrew Dominik
Stars: Ana de Armas, Adrien Brody, Bobby Cannavale
Rating: 3/5
Tour de France Stage 16:
165km run from Le Puy-en-Velay to Romans-sur-Isère
The five pillars of Islam
MATCH INFO
Manchester United 6 (McTominay 2', 3'; Fernandes 20', 70' pen; Lindelof 37'; James 65')
Leeds United 2 (Cooper 41'; Dallas 73')
Man of the match: Scott McTominay (Manchester United)
Company Profile
Name: HyveGeo
Started: 2023
Founders: Abdulaziz bin Redha, Dr Samsurin Welch, Eva Morales and Dr Harjit Singh
Based: Cambridge and Dubai
Number of employees: 8
Industry: Sustainability & Environment
Funding: $200,000 plus undisclosed grant
Investors: Venture capital and government
ANDROID VERSION NAMES, IN ORDER
Android Alpha
Android Beta
Android Cupcake
Android Donut
Android Eclair
Android Froyo
Android Gingerbread
Android Honeycomb
Android Ice Cream Sandwich
Android Jelly Bean
Android KitKat
Android Lollipop
Android Marshmallow
Android Nougat
Android Oreo
Android Pie
Android 10 (Quince Tart*)
Android 11 (Red Velvet Cake*)
Android 12 (Snow Cone*)
Android 13 (Tiramisu*)
Android 14 (Upside Down Cake*)
Android 15 (Vanilla Ice Cream*)
* internal codenames
MATCH INFO
Who: UAE v USA
What: first T20 international
When: Friday, 2pm
Where: ICC Academy in Dubai