Turkey faced the prospect of weeks of political turmoil after the ruling Justice and Development Party, known by its acronym AKP, lost its parliamentary majority in weekend polls, dealing a blow to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ambitions to acquire sweeping new powers.
Instead of the two-thirds majority he had wanted to change the constitution and create a new presidential republic, the AKP, while remaining the biggest party, failed even to achieve a simple majority. The outcome augurs weeks of unpredictability as parties vie to form a coalition and possible early elections.
The result could also prompt some soul searching in the AKP, Turkey’s dominant political movement for more than a decade, where in recent years religious conservatives, with Erdogan’s support, have gained the ascendancy at the expense of center-right and liberal elements.
Photo: AFP
Erdogan, strident in his attacks on opponents he has in the past accused of betraying Turkey, seemed conciliatory in first comments after the poll — a stark contrast to his triumphalist appearances after recent local and presidential elections
“Our nation’s opinion is above everything else,” he said. “I believe the results, which do not give the opportunity to any party to form a single party government, will be assessed healthily and realistically by every party.”
Erdogan had hoped a crushing victory for the AKP would allow it to change the constitution and create a more powerful US-style presidency.
Photo: AP
Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus told reporters that the AKP would try to form a coalition government as its first option and was optimistic that it would be able to do so, but added that an early election could be on the cards if it failed, and that a coalition without the AKP was impossible.
Sunday’s big winner was the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party, which crossed a 10 percent threshold to enter parliament for the first time.
The government is aiming to recruit 1,096 foreign English teachers and teaching assistants this year, the Ministry of Education said yesterday. The foreign teachers would work closely with elementary and junior-high instructors to create and teach courses, ministry official Tsai Yi-ching (蔡宜靜) said. Together, they would create an immersive language environment, helping to motivate students while enhancing the skills of local teachers, she said. The ministry has since 2021 been recruiting foreign teachers through the Taiwan Foreign English Teacher Program, which offers placement, salary, housing and other benefits to eligible foreign teachers. Two centers serving northern and southern Taiwan assist in recruiting and training
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