Turkey’s future hangs in balance
ANKARA, TURKEY • The suicide bombings that ripped through a rally promoting peace in Turkey’s capital have magnified the political uncertainty ahead of a key election Nov. 1 and raised fears that the mostly Muslim nation and NATO ally may be heading toward an extended period of instability.
The blasts — Turkey ’s bloodiest in years — have further polarized the country as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan tries again for a ruling majority in parliament. And with political winds blowing against the ruling party, the election could create new power struggles just as the country grapples with more than two million refugees and tries to avoid being drawn into the chaos in neighbouring Syria and Iraq.
“We are now facing uncharted waters in terms of deadly violence in Turkey,” wrote Omer Taspinar of the Brookings Institution in To- day’s Zaman, an opposition newspaper. “We are also in uncharted waters in terms of political polarization in the country.”
Turkey has suffered a spiral of violence since July when a similar suicide bombing killed 33 Turkish and Kurdish activists in a town near the Syrian border, ending a ceasefire.
Saturday’s attack in the heart of the capital — far from the conflicts bleeding over Turkey’s southern borders — is rattling nerves around the nation and beyond.
Amid the turmoil, the Turkish lira is losing value and interest rates are spiking, making it more difficult for Turkey to finance its looming shortterm debt. Persistent instability also could harm tourism, an important source of revenue and foreign currency.
Analysts say the bombings could only make the parliamentary election results less conclusive, meaning government stability will depend on the political parties’ ability to form coalitions and co-operate — an elusive capacity as the country becomes more and more polarized.
Government opponents, including a pro-Kurdish party whose members were at the rally, have held the government and Erdogan responsible for the bombings, which killed at least 97 people and wounded hundreds.
Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu rejected the accusations as “dangerous” and “dastardly.” He also denied that the bombings were a response to Turkey’s growing involvement in the war in Syria.
No group has claimed responsibility for Saturday’s bombings, but Davutoglu said the Islamic State group is the “No. 1 priority” of the investigation.