German Chancellor Angela Merkel (R) and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan speak to the media following talks at the German Chancellery on February 4, 2013 in Berlin, Germany. (Adam Berry/Getty Images)[/caption]
“You are anti-democratic,” Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told the European Parliament in June, “I don't recognize such an EU parliament.” Erdoğan’s remarks came hours after German Chancellor Angela Merkel and members of the Parliament condemned Turkey’s police crackdown at the Gezi Park protests.
Turkey was already deeply polarized at the time, but Erdoğan remained confident that he could still count on the support of half the electorate. The prime minister was therefore quick to dismiss the censure of his Justice and Development Party (AKP) and felt no need to pander to the EU to calm the situation at home.
Six months later Erdoğan significantly changed his tune: “2014 will be a year in which full membership talks with the EU and the democratization reforms will speed up,” the prime minister promised in his New Year’s Eve speech.
As Erdoğan heralded in the New Year, Turkey was once again ensnared in controversy, this time with a corruption scandal that has since undermined the very foundations of the AKP. In mid-December government ministers’ sons were arrested in connection with a bribery inquiry. Erdoğan blamed “external powers” and their alleged allies in the country for launching a “dirty operation.” The Gülen movement— influenced by the Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, who is living in self-imposed exile in the US—has been blamed for creating a “parallel state” through judges and prosecutors close to it. After pointing the finger at the Gülen movement, former allies of the AKP, Erdoğan started to remove prosecutors from the graft probe and made moves to restructure the Supreme Board of Prosecutors and Judges.
Turkish people do not take corruption lightly. Polls already show that the popularity of the AKP has slipped since the investigations were launched. The removal of high-profile prosecutors, police chiefs and thousands of police officers from their positions is seen by many as an attempt to cover up the scandal.
This time the AKP could not turn its back on the EU. The party has lost the support of the Gülen movement and has raised doubts among its other supporters for the way it has dealt with the allegations of bribery and corruption.
Erdoğan is now looking for ways to improve his party’s image and has pushed for the opening of two more chapters in Turkey’s negotiations to join the EU. The chapters, 23 and 24, cover issues related to the judiciary, fundamental rights, freedom and security.
While removing prosecutors from the corruption investigations, the AKP started to strike softer tones with its EU partners. Erdoğan visited German Chancellor Angela Merkel last week, who said that she supports moving forward with accession talks, as well as the opening of Chapters 23 and 24. She did, however, reiterate her long-held belief that Turkey must do more if it wants to join the 28-member bloc. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier stressed the need to open Chapters 23 and 24 as soon as possible, saying that it would help Turkey deal with the corruption probe.
With French and German support, Turkey is not far from opening these two crucial EU chapters, but it’s highly doubtful that the Turkish judiciary will run smoothly even if Turkey makes the required changes. With Turkey’s local elections just around the corner in March, we will shortly see whether Erdoğan’s EU maneuvers have done anything to salvage his party’s image. The months that follow will also be telling as to how determined and sincere the AKP is in its bid to meet EU standards in the judiciary.
All views expressed in this blog post are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, The Majalla magazine.
