Tough agenda awaits new Turkish govt after elections, say analysts
ISTANBUL — Regardless of the results of Sunday’s elections, the new administration in Turkey will face a tough agenda filled with problems waiting to be solved, analysts said.
Around 59 million voters went to the polling stations to elect their new leader and members of parliament under the new presidential system on Sunday.
Analysts said that economic difficulties and “unsolved issues” in foreign policy were at the top of the agenda.
“First of all, a severe economic crisis will be waiting for us,” said Yusuf Kanli, a columnist with the Hurriyet Daily News.
“Obviously, irrespective of who wins the elections, the faltering economy and suffocating Turkish lira ought to be the priorities of the administration,” Kanli said.
The rising cost of basic food, fluctuations in the exchange rates with a large amount of foreign debt at hand have already hurt the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), he noted.
The price of potatoes and onions soared by 94 percent and more than 200 percent respectively in the past month.
Turkey’s currency has recorded a loss of 25 percent against the US dollar since the beginning of this year, while the Turkish Central Bank raised policy rate by over 10 percentage to 18.75 percent in a bid to curb the decline.
Cahit Armagan Dilek, head of the Ankara-based 21st Century Turkey Institute, noted that “it will not be possible to solve other problems as long as you cannot revive the economy and act on it”.
Dilek said the current state of the economy indicates that the problem cannot be solved without external support.
“For this reason, a new standby agreement with the International Monetary Fund appears inevitable,” he continued.
According to the recent data, Turkey’s foreign trade deficit rose to nearly $77 billion last year.
Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek has recently said if President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is re-elected with the strong dominance of the AKP in the parliament, they will speed up economic and financial reforms.
The Nation Alliance, established by main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), Good Party and Felicity Party, also announced its post-election roadmap.
They pledged to regulate inflation, exchange rate and interest rates.
Kanli added that there are “unsolved problems”, especially in Iraq and Syria.
Turkey has launched a cross-border operation on June 11 against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants in northern Iraq’s Qandil and Sinjar regions.
In addition, the Turkish army, along with US troops, has started a patrol mission in the northern Syrian town of Manbij earlier this week in a move to clear the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) from the area.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said after implementing the plan in Manbij, the Turkish army will consider moving to other cities to clear the entire region of the YPG.
Dilek said new developments that possibly emerge in Iraq and Syria in the near future have the potential to evolve into something against Turkey and “new problems and threats may arise.”
“There could be a new wave of migration toward Turkey’s border,” he warned.