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Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
May 8 2012
A tale of two elections
by Semih Ediz
The weekend saw two elections of critical importance for Europe. The
results of the presidential elections in France have injected fresh
hope to despondent masses, while the results of the Greek general
elections promise more turmoil for that country, with serious
spillover effects for Europe.
The French electorate - at least the sensible portion of it - has
shown that you cannot survive long politically with policies that
disregard the man on the street and favor the privileged, while at the
same time stoking ethnic and religious discord. That is what Nicolas
Sarkozy did and paid the price.
The Guardian on Monday characterized him as `the most unpopular French
president ever to run for re-election' and had the following to say on
his defeat:
`Most French people felt he had failed to deliver his promises, and he
was criticized for his ostentatious display of wealth, favoring the
rich and leaving behind him more than 2.8 million unemployed.
Political analysts said anti-Sarkozyism had become a cultural
phenomenon in France.'
François Hollande's victory speech, on the other hand, was well
prepared and socially conciliatory, sending a message that is in tune
with France's national motto containing the words `equality' and
`fraternity.' While Hollande is clearly not a dreamer as a socialist,
realizing no doubt that he has to face bitter worldly realities, it is
nevertheless a positive thing that he will be calling for less
austerity measures in France and Europe, and more concentration on
growth-oriented policies.
This may not go down well with everyone in Europe, but the fact is
that without consideration for the needs of the average European, the
EU cannot hope to go far. In that sense the swing left in France is
welcome for Europe, promising as it does to put man at the center of
all considerations once again.
The results of the Greek parliamentary elections, on the other hand,
point to not-so-positive things. The unexpected rise of `The Golden
Dawn,' the unashamedly neo-Nazi party, is a symptom of the serious
social malaise in that country. As matters stand the election results
point to more political turmoil for a country which owes foreigners
over 200 billion euros for two bailout packages.
Greece has effectively mortgaged the next 20 to 30 years of its future
and this will inevitably fuel social resentment. While the electorate
voted with a vengeance against the politicians who landed them in this
mess, Greeks now hope that whatever coalition government is formed
will reverse the situation they have landed in.
That is not possible of course, but even the thought of this
expectation is enough to send shudders down financial spines across
Europe. Most analysts predict that any coalition formed under these
circumstances will not be long lived anyway, which means more
political and economic turmoil up ahead for Greece, and Europe.
So what do the results of both elections mean for Turkey? It looks
like Hollande's approach to Turkey will be wiser, especially when it
comes to the Turkish bid for EU membership. He knows full well that
membership is a long way down the road, and therefore there is no need
to sully the atmosphere with this issue at this stage.
How the Armenian issue plays out, on the other hand, remains to be
seen. That continues to be a touchy topic for both sides, and unless a
way is found to address the matter reasonably, ties could founder on
this issue once again. It is clear, however, that no one in Turkey is
shedding a tear over Sarkozy's political demise.
As for Greece, while the Greek far right is by definition
anti-Turkish, it seems that Greeks have new targets to hate now,
starting with Germany. Put another way, Turks are watching
developments in Greece with interest, to put it diplomatically, but do
not expect much fallout against Turkey from that direction, given that
Greeks have a host of new countries and institutions to blame for
their economic demise.
May/08/2012
May 8 2012
A tale of two elections
by Semih Ediz
The weekend saw two elections of critical importance for Europe. The
results of the presidential elections in France have injected fresh
hope to despondent masses, while the results of the Greek general
elections promise more turmoil for that country, with serious
spillover effects for Europe.
The French electorate - at least the sensible portion of it - has
shown that you cannot survive long politically with policies that
disregard the man on the street and favor the privileged, while at the
same time stoking ethnic and religious discord. That is what Nicolas
Sarkozy did and paid the price.
The Guardian on Monday characterized him as `the most unpopular French
president ever to run for re-election' and had the following to say on
his defeat:
`Most French people felt he had failed to deliver his promises, and he
was criticized for his ostentatious display of wealth, favoring the
rich and leaving behind him more than 2.8 million unemployed.
Political analysts said anti-Sarkozyism had become a cultural
phenomenon in France.'
François Hollande's victory speech, on the other hand, was well
prepared and socially conciliatory, sending a message that is in tune
with France's national motto containing the words `equality' and
`fraternity.' While Hollande is clearly not a dreamer as a socialist,
realizing no doubt that he has to face bitter worldly realities, it is
nevertheless a positive thing that he will be calling for less
austerity measures in France and Europe, and more concentration on
growth-oriented policies.
This may not go down well with everyone in Europe, but the fact is
that without consideration for the needs of the average European, the
EU cannot hope to go far. In that sense the swing left in France is
welcome for Europe, promising as it does to put man at the center of
all considerations once again.
The results of the Greek parliamentary elections, on the other hand,
point to not-so-positive things. The unexpected rise of `The Golden
Dawn,' the unashamedly neo-Nazi party, is a symptom of the serious
social malaise in that country. As matters stand the election results
point to more political turmoil for a country which owes foreigners
over 200 billion euros for two bailout packages.
Greece has effectively mortgaged the next 20 to 30 years of its future
and this will inevitably fuel social resentment. While the electorate
voted with a vengeance against the politicians who landed them in this
mess, Greeks now hope that whatever coalition government is formed
will reverse the situation they have landed in.
That is not possible of course, but even the thought of this
expectation is enough to send shudders down financial spines across
Europe. Most analysts predict that any coalition formed under these
circumstances will not be long lived anyway, which means more
political and economic turmoil up ahead for Greece, and Europe.
So what do the results of both elections mean for Turkey? It looks
like Hollande's approach to Turkey will be wiser, especially when it
comes to the Turkish bid for EU membership. He knows full well that
membership is a long way down the road, and therefore there is no need
to sully the atmosphere with this issue at this stage.
How the Armenian issue plays out, on the other hand, remains to be
seen. That continues to be a touchy topic for both sides, and unless a
way is found to address the matter reasonably, ties could founder on
this issue once again. It is clear, however, that no one in Turkey is
shedding a tear over Sarkozy's political demise.
As for Greece, while the Greek far right is by definition
anti-Turkish, it seems that Greeks have new targets to hate now,
starting with Germany. Put another way, Turks are watching
developments in Greece with interest, to put it diplomatically, but do
not expect much fallout against Turkey from that direction, given that
Greeks have a host of new countries and institutions to blame for
their economic demise.
May/08/2012