AKP claims God is on its side
Liberals and others should be concerned about AKP rhetoric proclaiming that God, the nation and history is on its side and that a vote for an opposing party is the mark of an infidel.
In the run-up to the June 7 general elections, Turkey's political scene has become tense and loud. The opposition parties are doing their best to advance their campaigns, and the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) is especially doing well, in part thanks to the unlimited state resources at its disposal. Meanwhile, the AKP's political narrative, which in the party's earlier years was embracing and cheerful, has become increasingly divisive and strident.
Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu recently presented an interesting example of this latter-day AKP narrative. In a speech to supporters in Denizli province and in other instances, he proclaimed, "God, the nation and history are with us." This trilogy, although admittedly poetic, is also emblematic of why and how the AKP narrative has gone wrong, at least from a liberal perspective.
