As we move further ahead

Erdoğan has made clear his preference for what he calls “repeat” elections, probably to be scheduled for November. He hopes that such a “repeat” would enable AK Party to receive enough votes to form a government on its own. However, opinion polls suggest that an early election at this time may not change the picture much. Some AKP leaders, such as Bülent Arınç, have argued that gearing up for polls in November will be a waste of time and money, and the best would be to respect the will of the electorate as it stands.

Against this chaos reigning in the region, the absence of a government is costing Turkey both politically and economically. The recent attack in Suruç, as well as the cross-border clashes with IS this week, is also a stark reminder of the growing threats to Turkey’s national security. A strong government is needed to address these challenges, and an AKP-CHP partnership appears to be “more equipped” to deliver this. With a foreign agenda that is prepared to revisit Davutoğlu’s once-successful “zero problems with neighbors” policy and to bring Turkey more into the “Western” fold, it would better serve Turkey’s and the neighborhood’s security needs. Greater regional stability will furthermore send the right message to investors, and attract the necessary capital to revive the economy and achieve growth rates that were once the envy of the world.

Both leaderships will now have to work diligently to demonstrate their ability to compromise and go beyond their narrow party interest: two qualities that are known not to be in abundance in Turkish politics.

Kemal Kirişci is the TUSIAD Senior Fellow in the Foreign Policy Program at Brookings, in Washington, DC.

Sinan Ekim is a former Research Assistant at the Istanbul Policy Centre.

Image: Wikimedia/Selahattin Sönmez​