Will Justice and Development repair what was spoiled by the results of the local elections?

Supporters of the Republican People's Party celebrate after the party won the Turkish local elections (Reuters)

Istanbul -

Following the local elections, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addressed his supporters from the same balcony he used to celebrate his victories and those of his ruling Justice and Development Party.

Despite the heavy defeat suffered by his party against its competitor, the Republican People's Republic, he went against expectations, adopting a tone of acceptance and respect for the will of voters, describing the results as a turning point and a lesson that must be learned from.

After the leaders of the ruling party confirmed that they had received the voters’ message and understood the significance of electoral abstention and punitive voting, Erdogan requested, during the meeting of the party’s Central Executive Council, last Tuesday, that a report be prepared on the reasons for the loss and submitted to him as soon as possible, bearing responsibility for the loss of the elections, in a step described as “criticism.” Brave self.

Golden opportunity

During the meeting, Erdogan did not miss the opportunity to court voters, blaming Justice and Development, stressing the need to create improvements that keep pace with citizens' aspirations.

He said, "We face a serious problem with the disease of arrogance that is spreading in our organizations at the levels of governorates, regions, municipalities, mayors, representatives, and even the bureaucracy. The greatest enemy of a political party born from the womb of the nation is building walls between it and the citizens."

Political analyst Ahmed Ibrahim Oglu believes that these elections revealed a golden opportunity for the Justice and Development Party to draw the necessary lessons and lessons, and to address the problems that it has monitored and will monitor after preparing the necessary reports and surveys requested by its leadership.

Ibrahim Oglu pointed out, in statements to Al Jazeera Net, that the strategy for implementing these changes is still unclear at this stage, in addition to the fact that President Erdogan's political position is far from being hasty in such issues, which will force him to wait for the appropriate time to initiate the necessary changes.

According to the political analyst, two main schools of thought are expected to influence the direction of the party during the next stage, as the first movement calls for a progressive and reformist approach aimed at revitalizing the founding principles of justice and development and the political model, believing that this is an ideal solution to regain the support of those who have moved away from the party and refrained from Vote for him.

As for the second trend, it tends to maintain the current path by calling for continuity instead of change, in line with available visions, and considering those who have departed from the party as falling behind its values ​​and principles, and there is no need to persuade them to return to it.

Comprehensive change

Ibrahimoglu believes that President Erdogan is moving towards comprehensive change, including the possibility of renewing the leadership within the party, to ensure compatibility with the basic values ​​of Justice and Development, as he must significantly strengthen his political presence.

He noted that there was criticism that the party had retreated from its leadership position in policy making following the transition to a presidential system, an impression that was also reflected in voters' views.

The difficult economic conditions in Turkey, which topped the scene with interest rates rising to 50% and inflation reaching its peak of 68.5% last March, played a decisive role in shaping the results of the recent local elections, especially after they directly affected the costs of daily living, which It aroused the dissatisfaction of the Turkish street and prompted it to point the finger at the government.

The street considered that the government was directly responsible for this economic deterioration, especially after the shift in its economic policies, which witnessed fluctuations between lowering interest rates and then raising them again. Small increases in pensions also sparked a wave of dissatisfaction among retirees in Turkey, which played a prominent role in decreasing support for the current government.

According to experts, Turkey is not expected to witness any economic changes during the current period, as Erdogan pledged to continue implementing his economic agenda, and to give his economic team more time to implement measures aimed at reversing the course of the economic downturn.

Ibrahimoglu denies that the reason for the decline of the Justice and Development Party is solely economic conditions, and believes that the party faced many challenges, especially in the process of selecting its candidates in large and small municipalities, where the discrepancy between leadership preferences and city dynamics, social transformations and opposition strategies in Istanbul, complicated the situation.

Republican People's Candidate İmamoğlu wins a new term as mayor of Greater Istanbul (Reuters)

Good step

The Republican People's Party topped the results of the local elections with 37.7%, marking an achievement that it had not achieved since the 1997 elections, and this was helped by the growing anger of voters against the ruling Justice and Development Party.

The former head of the Youth Department of the Republican People's Party, Gokchan Aulu Koc, told Al Jazeera Net that it is unfair to focus on the reasons for the loss of the Justice and Development Party without paying attention to the victory achieved by the Republican People.

He explained that the "Popular Alliance" strategy followed by the party was a successful step, through which it succeeded in attracting the votes of voters from the rest of the opposition parties, especially from the Good and Democracy parties.

Aulu Koc points to the changes in the internal policy of the Republican People's Party, as it began to adopt some strategies that were previously exclusive to the Justice and Development Party, such as direct communication with voters and carefully selecting candidates.

He stressed the importance of these steps in improving the party's image and increasing its influence, especially in regions such as the Black Sea and Central Anatolia, which it had not previously controlled.

Aulu Kosh says that it is possible to recognize the desire to work and the full commitment to continue achieving achievements from the statements of the party leaders, who all confirmed this, expecting that preliminary plans will be drawn for the electoral campaigns and the necessary moves in preparation for the upcoming presidential elections.

He confirms that the strategies followed by the Republican People's Party, including mingling with the public, attempts to reconcile with other parties, and continuous work that achieves achievements, means the return of the party as an effective political force again in the political arena, indicating that its size and influence will increase further if the ongoing conflicts within it end.

Source: Al Jazeera