After Yesterday's Election, What Is Next From Turkey

Aykan Erdemir, Politico: 6 takeaways from the Turkish elections

A defiant Erdoğan rides back to power on a wave of violence.

ANKARA — After losing their single-party majority for the first time in 12 years, the Islamist-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP) returned to power after a five-month intermission. Turkey’s supposedly nonpartisan president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has demonstrated his mastery of politics by winning the election gamble to lead his party back to government. Although the AKP has failed to win the super-majority needed to unilaterally impose an executive presidential system tailor-made for Erdoğan, the party regained a clear mandate to rule Turkey for the next four years.

WNU Editor: I would also add the following .... failure to achieve a super-majority that would have made it possible to change the constitution and give the President's office the power that Erdogan has always wanted is going to create a crisis .... as an autocrat Erdogan has always wanted power .... not having it is only going to push him to get it. Some additional predictions after yesterday's elections .... the refugee crisis is going to get worse, there will be an intensification of the war against the Kurds, expect a more direct involvement in the Syrian conflict (especially against the Kurds in the northern part of Syria), strained relations with Russia, and the real possibility of the Islamic State establishing operational cells within Turkey itself that would start a terror campaign.