Brushing away some myths about Turkey's recent election - by Nigar Goksel
Despite efforts by political rivals to spin the July 22 Turkish elections as a confrontation between Islamism and secularism (and the convenient adoption of this rhetoric by some in Europe who conceptualize global affairs and Turkey's European Union membership along these lines), the focus in Turkey was largely on democratization, economic growth and stability.
The conservative Justice and Development Party (AKP) government has tackled problems that have been lingering on Turkey's agenda for decades. Economic growth has been unprecedented. Many factors came together to trigger the virtuous cycle the country has experienced. One need not resort to ideological reasoning to understand why the electorate voted for more of the same, with almost one of every two voters opting for the AKP. One also need not romanticize the AKP. It is a "majority government" with a pragmatic approach seizing the opportunities that international and domestic trends offer.
The EU anchor has played an important role in bringing about predictability in policies and thus confidence to businesspeople. Increased freedoms, coupled with the sense of direction, has been motivating and reassuring, with political, social and economic implications-each reinforcing the other. A virtuous circle was triggered by positive expectations based on the EU integration process and the structural changes it involves.
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