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Syria's 'moderate jihadis' elated by Turkish election results

The Syrian opposition wants to know what kind of support it can expect from the AKP government after the AKP won solid support in the recent election.
Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan attends a Republic Day ceremony at Anitkabir, the mausoleum of modern Turkey's founder Ataturk, in Ankara, Turkey, October 29, 2015. Turkey marks the 92nd anniversary of the Turkish Republic. REUTERS/Umit Bektas  - RTX1TSXY
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Turkey's Justice and Development Party (AKP) elite weren't the only ones ecstatic with the party’s 49% victory in the Nov. 1 elections. Some foreign elements also were captivated by the result: AKP's revival as a strong, single-party ruler that could also lead Turkey to a presidential ruling system.

Among the most pleased are the "moderate jihadis" of Syria who are fighting the regime of President Bashar al-Assad and the Islamic State (IS). As I stressed in an Al-Monitor article Oct. 26, these groups, which are receiving support and protection from Turkey, have been going through rough times of late with Russia's intervention and high-paced joint operations with the Syrian army. The AKP's electoral success has improved the groups' morale.

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