Skip to main content

Turkish politics no longer one-man show

Turkey's June 7 parliamentary elections signaled a resounding loss for the ruling Justice and Development Party, so what are its options?
Selahattin Demirtas (C), co-leader of pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), talks to the media in Diyarbakir, Turkey, June 12, 2015. The leader of Turkey's pro-Kurdish opposition party on Friday accused figures within the state of links to violence in the largely Kurdish southeastern province of Diyarbakir this week, which left four dead. The violence between different Kurdish factions came days after a parliamentary election which saw the ruling AK Party lose its majority, casting doubt over stalled

The followers of Al-Monitor’s Turkey Pulse should not have been surprised by the developments in the aftermath of Turkey’s June 7 parliamentary elections. We had accurately predicted that Turkey would head toward a period of uncertainty.

The pivotal importance of the elections rested on two main pillars: whether the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) would manage to pass the world's highest, undemocratic national 10% threshold; and whether the HDP’s success would cost the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) its parliamentary majority, which it has enjoyed since 2002.

Access the Middle East news and analysis you can trust

Join our community of Middle East readers to experience all of Al-Monitor, including 24/7 news, analyses, memos, reports and newsletters.

Subscribe

Only $100 per year.