Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has a lot to be
smiling about this April Fool’s Day. As if being the political leader of Turkey
– a rising developing power, the bridge between Asia and Europe, and an EU
hopeful – wasn’t enough, his Justice and Development Party (AKP) just swept the
country’s municipal elections. Though he wasn’t on the ballot when Turkish
voters went to the polls last month, his party’s victory was a “referendum” on
his rule nonetheless. With 44% of the vote, the AKP increased its share of the
vote over the 39% it received in the last elections. In the afterglow of
victory, Erdogan has responded by promising to make his political enemies “pay
the price,” after having called them “terrorists” on the campaign trail.
It’s been a tough year overall for Erdogan’s government.
Massive anti-government protests in 2013 gave way to headlines centering on his
censorship of social media giants like Twitter
and YouTube
in the run-up to the election. A Turkish prosecutor’s special report
on corruption (likely leaked by the opposition) also revealed an illegal scheme
that placed Turkey at the center of money laundering for Iran through
intermediaries in China and Dubai; the report
also revealed Turkish musings over starting a war with neighboring Syria. While
it may not have done much to damage the AKP in the recent elections, the report
does raise questions of how Erdogan’s policies will affect relations with the
West.
