Goodbye “Mr. President”, let the halay begin!
By Deniz Torcu
On the afternoon of Sunday, 7 June, citizens of the Republic of Turkey followed their post-general election ritual: they turned on their TVs to catch the incoming results, poured a cup of tea and engaged in some country-saving debate that always pairs well. For the past three elections, the only “winners” have been the voters of the governing Justice and Development Party, with celebrations kicked off by one of Mr. Erdogan’s infamous “balcony speeches” in which he would proudly embrace the will of the people, dutifully accepting his role as the leader of the country.