No Crisis, No Change: The Third AKP Victory in the June 2011 Parliamentary Elections in Turkey

Amidst debates over a new constitution and increasing tensions over the Kurdish issue, the June 2011 parliamentary elections were considered crucial for the fate of democratic consolidation in Turkey. The article first discusses the background of the general elections, providing an account of the main political developments since the July 2007 general elections. After a discussion of the election campaign, the results of the parliamentary elections are presented. The article concludes by discussing the implications of the election results for democratic consolidation in Turkey under the Justice and Development Party's (AKP's) third term of single-party rule. Keywords: AKPErdoğanCHPDemocratic ConsolidationKurdish Conflict Acknowledgements I would like to thank the editors of South European Society and Politics, Susannah Verney and Anna Bosco, as well as two anonymous referees for their valuable feedback on earlier drafts of this article. Notes [1] See the interviews with Sibel İnceoğlu and Serap Yazıcı, Milliyet, 20–21 June 2010. [2] See the News Bulletin of the Turkish Statistical Institute No. 66 (31 March 2011), available online at: http://www.tuik.gov.tr/PreHaberBultenleri.do?id = 8471 [3] See the News Bulletin of the Turkish Statistical Institute No. 85 (15 May 2009), available online at: http://www.tuik.gov.tr/PreHaberBultenleri.do?id = 4054; News Bulletin of the Turkish Statistical Institute No. 84 (17 May 2010), available online at: http://www.tuik.gov.tr/PreHaberBultenleri.do?id = 6247; News Bulletin of the Turkish Statistical Institute No. 123 (15 June 2011), available online at: http://www.tuik.gov.tr/PreHaberBultenleri.do?id = 8531 [4] News Bulletin of the Turkish Statistical Institute No. 123 (15 June 2011), available online at: http://www.tuik.gov.tr/PreHaberBultenleri.do?id = 8531 [5] See http://www.akparti.org.tr/site/akparti/parti-programi#bolum_ [6] For an assessment of recent Turkish public opinion on the EU, see Kalaycıoğlu (2011b Kalaycıoğlu, E. (2011b) 'Turkey's views of the EU in 2011', GMF on Turkey Series, 21 September, available online at: http://www.gmfus.org/galleries/ct_publication_attachments/Kalaycioglu_TT2011Results_Sept11.pdf [Google Scholar]).