June 7 elections in Turkey: A breakthrough in the long road to democracy
- The results of June 7 general elections drastically changed the course of politics in Turkey. AKP’s 13 years of single-party rule has come to an end, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ambitions to change the country’s regime for a presidential system have failed and Turkey is facing a coalition government for the first time in nearly fifteen years. As for the near future, there remain significant uncertainties. The clock for the maximum 45-days period allowed for the formation of a government will start ticking as soon as the Parliament elects its new President during the last week of June. For the sake of democracy, societal peace and stability, the ideal outcome would be a government formed by the AKP and the CHP. The prospects of such a grand coalition, however, depend largely on the democratic maturity of the political leaders on all fronts. In light of Turkey’s political history and culture, that remains a big if…