The session's chairman began his speech by thanking the guests for travelling and making the effort for the discussion of its theme. He then introduced representatives of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), the opposing Republican People's Party (CHP) and the Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP), and academics and independent centres of thought. The chairman allowed the four speakers ten minutes each, and allocated some time for questions from the audience. The following is a summary of the session:
The representative of the opposing KDP discussed the importance of the upcoming Turkish elections and the 10% threshold needed to join the parliament. He stated that the "percentage is the highest worldwide". He also mentioned that if Turkey increased this percentage, it will start a new chapter and make a democratic Turkey where all factions are represented in the parliament. He affirmed, "Turkey is currently at crossroads; the first possibility is that Erdogan's AKP will win 300 seats in the parliament and lead Turkey as a dictatorial authoritarian state. The second is that the main opposition group, CHP, will gain seats enabling it to win and open a new chapter with the Turkish people to protect their rights to freedom and democracy".
Moreover, the CHP representative added that the opposition party representing the Kurds will nominate 550 persons from 81 provinces in Turkey who are widely supported among the Turkish people in the Black Mountain (Trabzon province) and the Kurdish regions. He explained that Turkey's nomination for European Union (EU) membership makes the results of these elections highly important for achieving true democracy and fostering outstanding relations with the EU. He further added, "The Kurdish party will play a vital role during these elections".
The AKP representative started her speech by answering the chairman’s question: "Your party won the elections three times in a row, but what promises have they offered to the Turkish people?" She affirmed that 20 million Turks voted for the ruling party, an indication of the trust this party has gained. She added that the AKP fought against all political and cultural forms of custodianship still imposed on the Turkish people ever since a republic was formed by the military. Moreover, she focused on the efforts of Erdogan's party to establish political pluralism in Turkey, adding that such an approach will only be complete through the formation of a presidential regime that they intend to implement after the elections.
As for the CHP representative, his discussion was based on the chairman's question: "Now that you have lost the elections three times in a row, what will you say to the Turkish people?"
The speaker mentioned that he was Turkey's former foreign minister and that he went back to Turkey in 2011 to resign and become the official chairman of the main opposition group. He also warned against a potential change in voting tendencies during the elections, explaining that the people wanted to see new candidates. He reiterated that freedom is missing in Turkey, women are not represented in several institutions, and that freedom of press does not exist in the country.
He also thanked Al Jazeera for giving him the chance to speak out to the public on behalf of his party about what was happening in Turkey, noting that his party established a democratic system that enabled the AKP to come to power. He argued out that prejudice against his party should stop, and indicated that the party granted women a chance to effectively and truly participate in the political process. In addition, he said, "Erdogan's government was not being questioned by the parliament about how it spent its assets, which encouraged the emergence of corruption".
Furthermore, he explained that the party has accomplished huge domestic and international achievements based on which the ruling party was established. However, he continued, the current government unfortunately seeks to revive the Ottoman rule, which enraged Arab nationalists. The speaker then argued that the party seeks to establish a government that will be held accountable and capable of finding a secularist democratic regime that respects religion and identity in Turkey. He then praised God, mentioned that he is a Muslim and that, during his stay in Iraq, he used to pray at the Shiite Al-Kadhimiya Mosque and the Grand Mosque in Baghdad. He indicated that his party's vision of the future leads to the organisation and commitment of all factions in Turkey.
The speaker added that he was bored with those who keep reproaching his party, highlighting the economic and political problems facing the ruling party at several levels. There were six million unemployed people, and 38% of the people receive only 1% of the general national growth. According to him, the number of journalists who were detained for carrying out their jobs has increased. “The CHP documents the problems suffered by the people; perhaps this is a lesson that the ruling party should learn”, he declared. He also added that "we have 555 electoral nominees, 505 of which are women".
Speaking on behalf of the academics, the speaker focused on the policy of "eliminating problems" which started 10 years ago. She held that "it is unlikely that such policies would continue", and added
The upcoming elections have nothing to do with foreign policies; what is going on is mere polarization. Moreover, these policies have achieved major stability in Turkey thanks to the smooth and strong ties between Turkey and Syria, which changed afterwards. Even though Al-Assad is not yet toppled, there is change in the handling of the situation as the strategy was based on normalisation with governments. Now, however, this is only used with peoples in the region.
The rise of Jihadist movements has largely affected the policy of eliminating problems, particularly in Syria, which in turn was reflected in the fight against terrorism. The speaker added that the agendas of political parties focused only 10% on foreign relations and policies although it has proved to be a success regarding the ruling party as well as the issue of Syrian refugees.
The representative of the Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA) explained that Turkey is at crossroads and that the transformation of its policies started in 1929 through a gradual shift from a prevailing system of nominations to a system of elections. This took place after abolishing the military rule and cannot be completed before the elimination of authoritarianism. He said that the AKP's stages of operations were distinguished by (1) dealing with economic and social issues at the beginning of its rule (the 2010 Referendum), (2) focusing on political interests instead of technical ones, and (3) ending authoritarianism and achieving independent elections.
The party did not only change itself, but it changed others as well. A proof of this is that the Kurdish party became a Turkish one offering unconventional propositions by rejecting what others do. Moreover, we must give the AKP credit for (1) the Kurdish political process that kicked off in 1999, (2) the drafting of a democratic constitution, and (3) the transfer to a presidential regime that is truly part of the democratic process. Therefore, the party calls on its supporters to cast votes in its favor, so the constitution drafted by the military can be changed.
