ИСТИНА

People say that when the Chinese want to curse someone, they say, “May you live in interesting times.” (the time of changes) Turkey, at some stage, might have had a Chinese enemy, because “interesting times” are a constant feature of Turkish political life for the whole republican history. Foreigners living in Turkey often express their amazement about the vivacity of political life. “It is never monotonous. Every day, you wake up with something new – a new issue, scandal, whatever”. Turkey has again been in turmoil for about three years or so now. Tensions increased with protests against the government over a seemingly simple matter like the felling of some trees in order to renovate the main square – Taksim – in the city of Istanbul. And somehow these tensions started in the spring of 2013 are still on the march. Turkey is heading toward a highly important election on June 7. This elections are crucial for the political survival of Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu. Also, the ruling Justice and Development Party's (AKP) chance to form a single-party government is at stake as well — a privilege that the AKP has enjoyed since 2002. But, more than anything else, the crucial question is whether the election results could provide Erdogan the opportunity to implement his ambitious project to transform Turkey into a presidential republic — a source of concern for the opposition.