Turkish protests might affect Arab world, but it's a one-way street: Analyst

Taksim protests might impact Arab states in transition but Turkey cannot be compared with Arab Spring uprisings, Turkish analyst tells Ahram Online

States in the Middle East could be influenced by recent protests in Turkey, Abdullah Aydogan, head of the Cairo-based SETA Centre for Turkish Studies, has told Ahram Online in a phone interview.
"For instance, despite differences in both political environments, the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt might be affected if Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (JDP) failed in Turkey, as they perceive the latter as an inspiring model," he said.
When asked about the call on social media for tripartite protests in Tunisia, Egypt and Turkey on 30 June, Aydogan denied a potential "Turkish Spring," saying that Erdogan had won three consecutive elections.
"Each time, Erdogan gained higher levels of electoral support; Turkey does not have the accumulated politico-economic problems [of] Arab Spring states," he stated.
Aydogan expects that the current wave of protests in Turkey's Taksim Square will escalate due to the participation of a series of labour unions, along with the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP).
He also brought reference to the role played by the Kemalist Republican Peoples' Party (CHP), one of Turkey's most influential opposition parties.
"The CHP leaderships called President Abdullah Gul during a meeting to seek an apology from Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan over police violence directed against protesters, which did not happen until now," Aydogan stated.
"However, the party is against Erdogan and his remaining in power, while other opposition parties believe in change through ballot boxes."
The Turkish analyst noted that the JDP is hoping to establish the legal bases of a presidential system, or a semi-presidential system as the French case, within the awaited constitution, a step that paves the way for Erdogan to become the new president after his third term as prime minister expires.
He mentioned that Turkey is witnessing an Islamist-secular conflict, as Taksim embodies a symbol of secularism, which explains the move to change the current shape of the iconic square.
"Taksim Square used to include a citadel and military barracks during the Ottoman era; this reflects a conflict between JDP leaders who came from the south and pro-Europeanism Turks who believe that Erdogan did not deserve to enter the public sphere," he added.
"But Erdogan proved ... himself throughout the 16-year period since he was the mayor of Istanbul, putting his fingerprints on all state institutions and achieving high levels of economic development for the country."
On a regional level, Aydogan referred to the Iranian-Syrian dimension of the issue, with seven million Turkish Alawites rejecting the foreign policy of Erdogan towards the two-year-old Syrian conflict.
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