BY YILMAZ OZTUNA
TURKIYE- Our local elections are drawing near, and their results may be important. Despite his busy agenda, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been busy crisscrossing Anatolia with campaign rallies. Polls are pointing to a landslide for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). This will be dangerous for democracy. You might consider the word ‘dangerous’ to be alarmist or downright wrong. However, when there’s no hope for a viable political alternative, the ranks of the AKP’s enemies will swell. If it succeeds with Cyprus, the EU and US relations proportional to its voter mandate, it will pursue a radical agenda and draw increased ire. Already there was this week’s terrorist attack against the Masonic lodge in Istanbul. Similar actions threatening to destabilize the nation might follow.
I wonder if the AKP might help other parties boost their votes. Yes, you read that right, and our history provides precedents. Polls predicting that the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) could have trouble passing the 10% threshold are distressing, because a healthy democracy requires a powerful ruling party plus a powerful opposition. I even consider it bad for a party to rule for more than two terms. I really wonder what will happen.