AKP did not lose, received a warning

While evaluating the results of the current elections we need to pay attention to expectations and how the campaigns went.

Turkish society has perceived the current elections as general elections not as local elections. To be more precise, circumstances have changed color and the eyes turned toward the general vote distribution.

The campaign was foremost headed by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. With an incredible energy he bore all the load of the party on his shoulders.

He travelled to 66 provinces. He targeted the opposition and the Doğan Group. He constantly attacked these two targets at rallies.

Wherever he went he held fierce speeches, increased tension so much that in the end this campaign turned into a referendum by Erdoğan.

Erdoğan was a prime minister with self-confidence and who said that in these elections his party would take approximately 47 to 50 percent of the votes. To tell the truth, it was not expected that the AKP would lose an important part of its votes.

Technically the AKP exhibited a performance that would leave all opposition in the shadow. It used all of the administration’s means. It mobilized means supplied by the government and the municipalities. It always went ahead with distributing presents and using state-owned transportation means before the elections.

In view of all this data, how should we evaluate the vote percentage of 39 received by the AKP? I think the AKP has not lost the current elections.

A 39 percent vote is very important for a party. Turkish society has shown that it did not turn its back on the AKP. It is very important that this party has still reached 39 despite the fact that hundreds of thousands people lost their jobs due to the economic crisis.

Are the reasons for the loss apparent?

I accept, it is an important decline in votes as the former 47 percent vote has dropped to 39 percent but we need to say that the AKP’s pin has not been pulled yet. Despite important losses in some municipalities we need to underline that in Istanbul and Ankara the castles are still standing.

So if the backs were not turned on the AKP, then what does this vote percentage mean?

I think, Turkish society sent a warning to the AKP and foremost to the prime minister. The best slogan in this regard came from daily Zaman columnist Hüseyin Gülerce during a chat on CNNTürk, "The Turkish society told the AKP ’One Minute.’" We might also call it an "uncommitted yellow card."

Whatever you call it there is a discontent present. This discontent includes the general attitude of the prime minister and the "economic crisis that has not been tangent." The prime minister has caused the society to be very tense.

He took on a brisk attitude that might have been justified or not. He increased his attitude exhibited in Davos. For an instant he turned each rally meeting into a fight. I think, people are sick of it.

Another mature speech from the PM

Turkish people don’t want to fight.

People want employment, to earn money and to live in comfort.

The AKP’s charm in the beginning has vanished.

The prime minister has again after the elections held a mature balcony speech. You will surely remember his speech after the 2007 general elections and again he correctly analyzed the situation.

He said the message sent by the society will be analyzed in detail and necessary lessons will be learned.

We wish the prime minister won’t forget his words like he did in 2007. After the general elections he said he’d embrace everyone but instead he increased tension.

If the prime minister reads the results carefully he might prevent a future defeat for the AKP in the upcoming elections in two years. Otherwise, devastation by the expectedly increasing crisis and new tensions could bring the AKP a heavy defeat or even come to a point of losing their power.

In summary, neither should the opposition announce victory and declare the end of the AKP’s power, nor the governing party continue with its boorish attitude.