- Mr. Ismail, what are distinctive features of the upcoming elections, as compared, for example, with the last elections in 2007?
- A distinctive feature of these elections is that almost all the experts, specialists in the field and opinion polls agree in assessing the results of the elections - the leading AKP party will gather slightly more votes than before. More than 40% is a definite number. In its turn, the Republican People's Party is headed by Kylychdaroglu, who is its new image, new way of thinking, more democratic and honest. Even some journalists call him sometimes a "Turkish Gandhi". So this
party will also increase its votes by 27-28%. And if at first there were talks that the Nationalist Movement Party of Turkey will not get in to parliament, at the moment there is no doubt that the party will gather the required minimum of 10%. And, of course, independent candidates, who represent, shall we say, the separatist parties, will continue to be represented not as party members, but as independent candidates. In the future they will unite in the parliament in a single faction. In this regard there also will not be any serious surprises.
A distinctive feature of these elections is that the parties and their leaders have displayed great activity, not only in the major cities, but in other regions as well. I must say that the leader of the NPF, Kylychdaroglu, has shown the highest level of activity in this direction. He organized about 110 pre-election meetings in various regions of the country. The AKP party holds second place; the prime minister gave 80 speeches in the regions, including even the south-eastern regions. And, of course, the Nationalist Movement Party. The distinctive feature in regard to this party is that it organized a meeting in a town with a predominantly Kurdish population for the first time in 16 years. The meeting went very well. In addition, this time we do not feel the military's influence, no influence of the generals. First of all, this is due to the fact that both the public and opposition political leaders believe that only the ruling party could benefit from such influence.
- What role will the Kurdish issue have in the elections?
- Europe does not fully understand the Kurdish question. The Kurdish population in Turkey is fragmented and highly mosaic. Most of the Kurdish population consider themselves part of the Turkish nation. And I personally know Kurds who are members of completely opposite parties. There are even ethnic Kurds who are Turkic nationalists. In this regard, the situation in Turkey is certainly very special. Of course, there are separatist movements, but there are also forces that seek only a cultural autonomy. On the other hand, terrorism dominated in the south-eastern regions of the country for a long time, and it has affected the local population. That is why at the moment the local population often tends towards separatism, sometimes in a hidden way. Terrorist acts in this region will be over with time, on the condition of democratic elections. The contemporary Kurdish party of Peace and Democracy is essentially the political face of separatist sentimentsin Turkey. It has never proclaimed itself a terrorist organization, but it has respect for the leader of the terrorist organization, Abdullah Ocalan, and his political mentors and leaders. We see that this party, in spite of its claims, is free in its actions. So methods of democratic struggle are acceptable, but Turkey, just like any other country, does not permit terror. As we know, Russia also suffers from terror, while the US organizes counter-terrorist operations in other states to ensure its safety. Separatist forces receive no more than 5% of the votes, as we can see at the elections. This is a very important point.
- What are the strong and weak points of the ruling party in this election?
The SEP could get fewer seats in the parliament than ever before. But this is not the result of a decrease in popularity. All the parties will increase their votes, depending on the outcome of elections in the regions. Even if the party of Erdogan gets more votes, other parties will be represented to a larger extent thanks to the parties which are less numerous. Secondly, the population believes that the SEP should be given a chance to complete its projects. The fact is elections adversely affected the image of the party. First of all, Ithat certain events which had taken place in the county before the am talking about the scandals surrounding exams, which lasted for some time. In Turkey, the education system is very serious, traditionally there is no bribery there. Such a system of education is one of the major successes of the modern Turkish republic. Another issue is that certain political leaders of the country lead an aggressive policy before the elections.
- You said that population believes that the SEP should complete some projects. What projects did you have in mind?
-The stable economic development is one of the main ones. As you can see, Turkey has overcome the global economic crisis better than the EU, and the republic's economy continues to develop. In addition, a gradual resolution of the Kurdish problem with the help of democratic means.
- Is accession to the EU among those projects?
- Yes, of course, Turkey has long sought to become a member of the EU. But we are now seeing some problems in this direction. However, one can say that the public is not as much preoccupied by this problem at the moment and it will not have much impact on the outcome of the elections.
- But in any case, will Turkey maintain its commitment to the European Union?
- Certainly the expediency of joining the EU is now in doubt, due to the economic problems of the EU and the eurozone, against the background of ther stable development of the Turkish economy. But in general, Turkish foreign policy will remain the same after the elections and there will be no reorientation.
