Turkish democracy is alive and kicking. Yes, conservative Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan — under fire for his authoritarian leanings — won Sunday’s elections with a landslide 50% of the vote, basking in the longest period of economic prosperity in the country’s recent memory. But his Justice and Development Party fell short of a sought-after two thirds “supermajority” which would have allowed him to change the country’s founding principles without seeking the opposition’s consent.
And, as a result of the vote, he finally has a robust, colorful opposition to contend with. The new Turkish parliament has more women, more Kurds and more human rights activists than ever before. Voter turnout was a record 87%.
