More than half of all Turkish citizens prefer Turkey’s current parliamentarian system instead of imposing a presidential system on the country, according to a survey conducted a day after the Nov.
Turkey may hold a referendum on changing the constitution to create an executive presidential system and discussions on the issue will accelerate in the period ahead, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's spokesman said on Wednesday.
İbrahim Kalın was speaking three days after the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) clawed back a majority in a general election, a triumph for Erdoğan, whose ambition for stronger presidential powers rests on the AK Party controlling parliament.
A former İstanbul deputy from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) has called for an extraordinary party congress to elect a new leader due to the party's failure in Nov.1 elections, at the same time announcing his candidacy for chairperson of the CHP.
The Justice and Development Party (AKP), which has returned to power as a single-party government just five months after losing its majority in June, has drafted a timeline for its next steps - taking the upcoming G20 summit in southern Turkey into consideration.
Accordingly, members of new parliament will take their oath on Nov. 17, after the Supreme Election Board (YSK) announces the final official results of the Nov. 1 snap election on Nov. 12. Deputies will be therefore be taking their oaths after Turkey hosts the G20 leaders’ meeting in Antalya on Nov. 15-16.
After the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) won an unexpected landslide in the general election on Sunday, the issue of a transition to a presidential system is being touted by government officials once again amid rumors that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is looking to pressure the ruling party to opt for a switch.
The Justice and Development Party (AKP) scored an unexpected success in the Nov. 1, making a strong comeback after losing nine percentage points in the June 7 general election. In what came as a surprising victory even to its own deputies, the AKP managed to mobilize voters both inside Turkey and abroad.
Here is a list of 10 factors explaining how the AKP won the elections by a landslide.
1.Strong candidates
The outcome of Turkey’s general election on Nov. 1, which saw the Justice and Development Party (AKP) regain its parliamentary majority, follows a period of heightened political uncertainty that will not necessarily come to an end, international credit rating company Fitch Ratings has stated.
“The implications for Turkey’s sovereign credit profile and rating will depend on whether the result produces a more stable and predictable political environment that is conducive to structural reform and economic rebalancing,” Fitch said in its report on the results of the Nov. 1 election.
The White House on Nov 2 voiced displeasure at the "intimidation" of Turkish journalists during an election that bolstered the Justice and Development Party (AKP).
Just weeks before President Barack Obama meets his counterpart Erdoğan in Turkey, spokesman Josh Earnest said the White House was "deeply concerned that media outlets and individual journalists critical of the government were subject to pressure and intimidation during the campaign."
Justice and Development Party (AK Party) Deputy Chairman and Spokesperson Ömer Çelik has said the whole nation is the winner of Sunday's vote, stressing the party will not seek “revenge” from its critics.
The leaders of Turkey's pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party (HDP) have said that unfair election conditions and a deliberate policy of polarization by President Tayyip Erdoğan explain their drop-off in Sunday's parliamentary elections.
The HDP was forced to cancel election rallies following two deadly attacks on pro-Kurdish gatherings since July. Television stations gave party representatives little air-time amid government attacks branding the party as the political wing of the terrorist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli, who denied claims that he stepped down as the MHP chairman following the election results, has said Sunday’s results do not change Turkey’s gloomy picture and that he will work for the goals of the party until his last breath.
A total of 12 small parties in the Nov. 1 general election failed to gain any seats in Parliament, as the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) regained the majority in a repeat parliamentary election on Sunday by winning 49 percent of the vote.
A number of factors come to the fore in analyses explaining what had changed since the June 7 elections which helped the AKP regain enough seats for single-party rule. Here are four reasons why the AKP garnered more than four million additional votes at the expense of the opposition parties.
1.Bahçeli’s negative attitude
The Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) base did not support the negative attitude of its leader, Devlet Bahçeli, especially during the coalition talks with the AKP.
The European Union and Council of Europe have both underlined the high voter turnout during the Nov. 1 snap elections in statements issued a day after the polls, while expressing a desire to advance cooperation with Turkey on a number of issues.
EU High Representative and Vice-President Federica Mogherini and the EU Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn said in a joint written statement that the Nov. 1 snap elections in Turkey, which saw a turnout as high as 85 percent, “have reaffirmed the strong commitment of the Turkish people to democratic processes.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made a call on Nov. 2 for the whole world to respect the country’s parliamentary election result, which gave the Justice and Development Party (AKP) he founded nearly 50 percent of the vote.
Speaking to reporters after praying at a mosque in Istanbul, Erdoğan said Turks had voted for stability on Nov. 1 after the failure of coalition talks following a June vote.
Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu called on Turkey's political parties to come together and agree a new constitution after his ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) regained its parliamentary majority at a general election on Sunday.
"I'm calling on all parties entering parliament to form a new civilian national constitution," he said in a balcony speech to thousands of AK Party supporters at the party headquarters in Ankara, as fireworks lit the sky.
The snap election results indicated that the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) has regained the majority in a repeat parliamentary election on Sunday by winning 49 percent of the votes.
As Turkey rushed to the polls in one of the most crucial elections in the history of the republic, reports of citizens in Southeast provinces being forced to vote under the surveillance of security personnel, fights breaking out in polling stations and electricity cuts fueled speculation of violations of election security.
Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu held a press conference to analyze the election results, saying the results put further responsibility on the shoulders of the CHP.
