The AK Party hegemony

The 2000 millennium began with the AK Party hegemony. We have spent the first decade under its rule. It"s quite likely that we will spend another decade with it. Indeed, it is quite possible that Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdogan as the president will witness his presidential term in between the years 2014 and 2019 and continuously until 2024. The current political balances allow this prediction, unless the impacts of a global crisis take place, especially as long as the opposition will continue on its present route while AK Party leads certain processes and bears reforms on critical issues such as the Kurdish question.

The ruling party with the given picture has such a profile. The fact, that the political contest is not occurring among different parties but within the only and large party, grants the party a more sociological and political sovereignty.

Mexico has experienced this and likewise Japan. In fact, Turkey has been going through the same for a while. That AK Party has won every election in the last 12 years, with an increasing vote rate, which led the opposition into a loss-based emotional fracture. Anger and reaction are indicative of this fact.

Such a picture promoting discipline and consultation mechanisms is not ideal for participation elements, reconciliation; aspects of sharing that are helpful for the pluralistic democratic culture and mentality improvement.

However, if the picture reveals the free will of the society, that of the voter and that the state of law is ruling on the socio-political-state relationships, it cannot ignore democracy.

Why is it so?

This picture is fostered by the constant representational power of a political party in rule and its executional success along with an absolute opposition deficiency. (In turn of this, a gigantic middle-class has been born; the service quality has increased, including the overthrowing of the tutelage regime besides the economic and political stability and even so their exchange in power.) Baykal, Bahçeli, Kiliçdaroglu have a great responsibility on the issue.

Let us return to our original question. What is the AK party"s narrative going to be like? Between the years 2002-2007, the term was a survival struggle for AK Party. During that term, AK Party"s existential purpose was based on reforms. Through its policies, AK Party found a larger support – outside its own base –, which produced new conglomerations and implicit alliances.

The years between 2007 and 2014 are literally the contestation between political authorities.

Since 2007, through the presidential elections, AK Party has been engaged with a great and collective war against the old regime"s army and civil burocracy class altogether. Since 2011, it has won in certain arteries. Thus, the old regime"s actors have declined in power. This term will be followed with the fight over the political authority through the Gülen community issue that has turned out to be significantly in favor of the government since March 30, 2014. For AKP, the process of full control overtake and consolidation in the sense of state structure has become deepened. The presidential elections, that will be held in August 2014, point to that AK Party or namely the ruling political authority will enter a new stage, a third phase.

What kind of a phase is that? Well, it"s likely that AK Party will signal a new institutional reconstruction in terms of central power and this phase will complete its state fabric and the retouch in the sense of a constitutional regime.

As a matter of fact, the fact that the president will be chosen by the public vote, the certainty that Mr. Erdogan will rise to Çankaya and that through Erdogan a transitional period into the presidential system will take a start are all determining sets of data.

At this point, the issue is, of course, that AK Party must accomplish this transition in democratic conditions by not giving any concession from the law.

In line with its realization capacity, the other issue is that it must raise the support in the parliament for achieving the constitutional majority for the sake of its purpose.

Moreover, this can only be done through democratization moves and efforts. Democratization is the most important aspect of the process that will renew the alliances and their enlargement.