Opinion: Is it really over?
July 28, 2015
Before the Suruc attack, Turkey's Justice and Development Party (AKP) had started post-election coalition negotiations with all political parties. But Suruc changed everything. Suddenly all eyes focused on Turkey actively joining the war against "Islamic State" and simultaneously the retaliation against the terrorist organization PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party), which had also started launching attacks within the country.
The pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party (HDP) is rightly being criticized for not denouncing the PKK's recent attacks, which reminds us of the conflict Turkey faced during the 1990s. No one wants to return to those days filled with insecurity and casualties. Therefore a solution to this long-lasting conflict is crucial. It is no secret that the peace process was stalled even ahead of President Erdogan's statement on Tuesday.
His call for accountability for those members of the parliament supporting terrorist organizations encountered a quick response. HDP co-chair Selahattin Demirtas said all 80 deputies would give in a request to the Turkish parliament for their immunity to be removed. This escalates the discussion and puts the country on a path further away from reaching any kind of solution.
Question of stability
On the one hand, the AKP is taking advantage of the situation in Turkey in hopes of regaining the votes they lost to HDP, if an early election were to take place. On the other hand even though Demirtas' impulsive reaction might seem a good response at first, it actually does not contribute in any way to help bring stability to this situation of political turmoil. The Nationalist Movement Party's (MHP) call for HDP's closure is also not helping.
While the Turkish daily agenda is filled with finger-pointing, the negotiations for a coalition are quietly underway. The Republican People's Party (CHP) and AKP had a second round of meetings and if they are able to reach an agreement, a coalition is planned to be formed soon. If not, early elections will follow which has been AKP's plan all along.
The AKP was not happy with the results of the June general elections and the loss of being the sole ruling party. Now, Turkey is frantically discussing what's next with the peace process. All parties need to calm down and focus on what really needs to be the next step. The next step should be a sound coalition.
The leaders need to remember the pre-election atmosphere and the resentment felt towards AKP that brought about the hope for change. In other words, the peace process needs to be one of the important elements to be discussed once the new coalition is built. Not only those who are supporting terror but also those responsible for corruption and other illegal activities need to be held accountable.