Türkiye's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) is making a notable shift toward nationalist rhetoric as it prepares for the 2007 general elections, according to columnist Haluk Sahin writing in Radikal. The party, which previously avoided nationalist language and treated it as incompatible with its Islamist roots, has recently sought out events and gatherings associated with Turkish nationalist themes.
The strategy appears driven by electoral arithmetic. The AKP captured a large share of Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) voters in 2002, a bloc estimated at 8 to 10 percent of the electorate, and wants to hold those votes. Additionally, some 4 million first-time voters will participate in the next election, and many are believed to lean nationalist.
Other voter pools offer little room for growth. The religious base already gave the AKP its peak support in 2002, secular voters have largely ruled the party out, and the liberal segment remains small and skeptical.
Sahin raises a pointed question: could the AKP go so far as to suspend EU membership negotiations to project a nationalist image before the vote, then seek to reopen talks after winning? He notes that restarting accession talks would require approval from all EU member states, a complication the party might prefer voters overlook.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in September 2006, in its own words.