Quadriga: The International Talk Show from Berlin

It was not exactly what the pollsters had predicted. A clear victory for Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose AK party won an absolute majority in parliament. The question is: Will the president now tighten still further his control over Turkish politics? The election was marred by violence and intimidation. For months now, the government has been cracking down on opposition activists and journalists. The peace process with the Kurds has been shattered. Deadly bomb blasts have further polarized an already divided country. Erdogan, critics say, has profited from chaos that he deliberately helped to create. In this climate of insecurity, have Turkish voters given a mandate to an autocrat? Have your say: quadriga(at)dw.com Our guests: Dilek Kurban is a research fellow at the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin. She has published on the Kurdish question, human rights and media freedom in Turkey. She says: “Turkish society missed an opportunity for democracy and the rule of law with yet another AKP single party rule.” Judy Dempsey was a long-time columnist for the International Herald Tribune and is now a Senior associate at Carnegie Europe and the editor-in-chief of Strategic Europe. Judy Dempsey says about the outcome of the Turkish election: “Its a mandate that could move Turkey away from Europe or toward Europe. Its one or the other.” Alan Posener is a political author at the German daily Die Welt. He says: “Erdogan has no mandate to change the constitution. But he is the legitimate leader of the strongest Islamic country in the region. And therefore our most important partner.“