Doing more with less: the Justice and Development Party (AKP), Turkish elections, and the uncertain future of Turkish politics

Abstract

The outcome of Turkey's June 2011 elections temporarily quelled – though by no means entirely put to rest – growing concern over the creeping autocratic tendencies of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). To ensure that democracy remains durable, the AKP must now clearly demonstrate that it is willing to shun heavy-handed tactics and instead engage the opposition in a genuine dialog regarding important matters of constitutional change, especially those related to individual rights and identity issues. A slide toward autocracy has been an all-too-common pitfall in Turkish politics over the years. Should it so choose, the AKP is well poised to break the cycle at this critical juncture in Turkish politics.

Keywords:

• Turkey
• elections
• democratization
• AKP
• identity

Notes

Information about Turkey's parliamentary system and electoral rules can be found on the official government website of the Turkish Grand National Assembly (Türkiye Büyük Millet Meclisi).

For election results, see “2011 Yılı Genel Seçim Sonuçları” and “Seçim 2007”.

For party lists by province, see Milletvekili. For analysis see Kaya.

In February 2008, the Turkish Parliament passed a constitutional amendment granting women the right to wear the headscarf in public universities. In June of that same year, however, Turkey's Constitutional Court annulled the amendment for being unconstitutional.