What’s behind Turkey’s ruling AK party setback?
Erdogan wanted a mandate for his political reforms, but voters in Turkey handed him a rebuke.
The ruling party in Turkey has for years enjoyed a comfortable majority, but the AK party saw that come to an end after Sunday’s general election.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was banking on yet another wide margin to carry out sweeping political reforms, aiming at creating a presidential system that would have given him more power.
Now, the party will be forced to form a coalition government, for the first time since it took power in 2002.
What’s behind this setback for Erdogan and his party? And what will it all mean for his political future and ambitions?
Presenter: Kamahl Santamaria
Guests:
Bilal Sambur – head of the SESA Institute of Political, Social and Economic Studies
Fadi Hakura – specialist on Turkey at Chatham House
Galip Dalay – editor of Inside Turkey, a quarterly political magazine