Hurriyet Daily News published an article by Ali Cinar entitled "The impact of midterm elections upon Turkey and the Turkish community."
"The impact of U.S. midterm elections is still under discussion. While Democrats are in sorrow and bewilderment, the victorious rejoicing of the Republicans continues in every state. It has also been suggested that with this success, the Republicans will be even more motivated for the year 2016," the article reads.
"The Republicans will be represented in the Senate with 52 seats to the Democrats’ 45, while the former will also hold 243 congressional seats to the Democrats’ 178," the author writes. "But what do the midterm elections mean for Turkey and the Turkish-American community?" he wonders.
"Many sectors in Turkey state that it is a good sign that the Republicans have won a majority in the Senate and Congress. U.S. Speaker of the House John Boehner said both during a visit to Turkey and in meetings with representatives of the Turkish-American community that they would not bring the so-called Armenian Genocide bill to the agenda in 2015," the author notes.
"Another point to mention is the issue of the Middle East. One of the most important Republican senators, John McCain, and many of his colleagues have made statements supporting the opinions and strategies of Turkey regarding Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad. The Republicans are also stating that they will be applying pressure for a sharper and stronger strategy due to the unclear strategy of President Barack Obama on the subjects of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and Syria," the article reads.
"However, I must also say this: It is also being said that the Republicans are closer to Israel and the tension in Turkish-Israeli relations will cause a backlash in Washington," the author writes.
"2015 will be a busy year for Turkish-American relations. Whatever the case may be, Turkey and the U.S. shares common interests in many issues, and it would be wrong to expect that there would be a serious crisis due to the delicate balance with whichever party gains the majority vote. In this sense, let’s not forget that the Turkish-American community will continue to be in a close relationship with both parties’ representatives and that they will work even more seriously to prevent any unpleasant surprises," Cinar concludes.
The same news agency published an article by Serkan Demirtas devoted to the current situation in Turkey.
"Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu has put an end to speculation over the timing of next year’s parliamentary elections. “They will be held on time,” he said, adding that this would reflect the normalcy of state affairs in the country. That means the elections will probably be held on June 7, 2015, as the mandate of the current Parliament ends on June 12. So, there are slightly more than six months to go until the elections and all parties have already begun works to plan their pre-election campaigns," the author of the article writes.
"Our long conversation with Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the leader of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) and other top party officials on Wednesday revealed how the main opposition party is looking at the upcoming elections and outlining its objective and challenges. Some recent surveys have indicated a four point decrease in the votes of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), moving it down to the 40 percent margin, according to CHP officials. “One of the most important reasons is the ability of Ahmet Davutoğlu to replace Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as prime minister. He is unable to get the people’s approval as leader to the extent he was hoping. Another reason is the ongoing debate over the presidential palace,” officials stressed. The same surveys point out a small increase in the CHP’s votes, but not enough to bring it to power," Demirtas writes.
“There is no other party that has solutions to the country’s fundamental problems apart from the CHP. Our job is to deliver this to the masses. If we cannot do it, this would be down to our own ineptitude. Take the peace process; we have issued a 17-article plan for resolving the problem. Take unemployment; there is no any other political party that could introduce a sound solution to solve this. Take poverty; I haven’t heard anything better than the family insurance program policy that we introduced,” Kılıçdaroğlu is quoted by the journalist as saying.
The CHP has long been criticized for not being able to say anything new on Turkey’s top problems and instead just besmirching the ruling party’s policies, the author cites the politician as saying.
Although he seemed pessimistic, Kılıçdaroğlu underlined that his party was determined to break this vicious circle in the upcoming elections, Demirtas informs.
The party will try to explain the economic downfall caused by the AKP, and the CHP’s formula to fix it, in a very simple language to communicate with ordinary folk. “The world is not the same world as the 1960s and 70s. Ideological differences, right or left, no longer count. That obliges us to abandon class-based approaches, in favor of the advantage of social necessities. That’s why we want to base our politics on [the needs of] families, individuals and children,” Kılıçdaroğlu stressed.
One important question asked the CHP head was whether his election campaign would target President Erdoğan or Prime Minister Davutoğlu. “I think we’ll pursue a parallel election campaign,” he said. “If Davutoğlu manages to prove himself as the prime minister, we will take him out of our target list. But he never will be able to do this.”
