Turkish Ultranationalists Up the Ante for Erdogan
Turkish ultranationalists are creating a potential challenge to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s AK Party in the run-up to next year’s municipal and presidential elections, writes Semih Idiz.
The precarious peace process between the Turkish state and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) is moving ahead amid a mixture of deep uncertainty and hopeful expectation, as a group of “Wise Persons” selected by the government continue to tour the country trying to sound out the public mood about the process and convince Turks and Kurds alike of its merits.
But with ultranationalists continuing to oppose the process vehemently, and to vilify the 63 “Wise Persons” comprising intellectuals, academics, journalist and well known names from the world of entertainment, the war of words between Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Devlet Bahceli, the leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) is also seen to be escalating dangerously.
