Erdogan’s vaulting ambition threatened by Kurdish rivals

President Tayyip Erdogan sought a crushing victory for his vision of a “new Turkey” at elections yesterday that would furnish him with sweeping executive powers opponents say could undermine democracy.

However, Erdogan’s ambitions could be thwarted by a Kurdish-rooted opposition party that is looking to enter parliament for the first time, and could put an end to 12 years of single-party rule for AKP, the party founded by Erdogan.

The mood was tense at some polling stations, particularly in the mainly Kurdish southeast, after a bombing on Friday killed two people and wounded at least 200 at a rally for the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP).

The attack has sharpened attention on the HDP, which is looking to enter parliament for the first time as a party. Its success could help put an end to a three-decade Kurdish insurgency and keep Erdogan’s political ambitions in check.

Erdogan hopes the ruling AKP can win a resounding majority to change the constitution and create a US-style executive presidency. Opponents say his vision of the presidency would lack necessary checks and balances.

“They say ‘if Erdogan gets what he wants on Sunday he will be unstoppable’,” Erdogan told a rally in northeastern Ardahan on Saturday.

“They actually mean Turkey will be unstoppable.”

Nato member Turkey is seen by the West as a key ally bordering Iraq, Syria and Iran and prized for its stability. Erdogan, while maintaining ties, has promoted the image of a state less inclined than in the past to do Washington’s bidding.

While the AKP is expected to again be the largest party, it may be unable to secure an outright majority if the HDP crosses the 10% threshold required to enter parliament. The HDP has widened its appeal beyond its Kurdish core vote, to center-left and secularist elements disillusioned with Erdogan.

“I am certain the HDP will exceed the threshold. My only worry is the theft of votes,” said Bahar Haram, a 25-year-old social services worker voting in Diyarbakir, the biggest city in the southeast, where the HDP draws most of its support.

Like many people in the region, Haram said her priority was an end to the conflict between Ankara and the militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which took up arms in 1984 in an insurgency that has killed 40,000 people.

Ankara launched peace talks with the PKK more than two years ago. The HDP’s presence in parliament could be crucial to pushing the process forward, analysts have said.

There were allegations of fraud and intimidation on social media, although there were no official reports.

While constitutionally required to stay above party politics, Erdogan has held frequent rallies during a confrontational election campaign, joining prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu in attacking opposition parties.

Reuters