And if it achieves 367 seats in the 550 seat Turkish parliament the AKP will be able to push through a new constitution for the country.
Critics say the current constitution, introduced in 1982, is both illiberal and outdated. But a new constitution produced by a party whose ideology is an electorally popular mix of Islamic belief and right-wing conservatism is not seen by those on the liberal left as being in the long-term best interests of the country.
The AKP is presently polling between 43 and 55 per cent while the CHP – the social democratic Republican People’s Party – between 23 and 32 per cent with the nationalist party MHP on between 9 and 15 per cent of the vote. Under the existing constitution, should the MHP fail to achieve 10 per cent of the votes cast it will fail to qualify for seats in the Turkish parliament and the seats it wins will go to the AKP.
That explains, for many cynics, why a series of tapes showing prominent members of the MHP in compromising sexual positions have suddenly appeared on the worldwide web. These well-shot videotapes could tilt the election towards the majority the AKP needs to bring in a new constitution.
The AKP has been highlighting “family values” as part of its election campaign while the CHP is seeking the votes of the country’s farmers by promising to wipe clean their large electricity bills and reducing the interest rates the agriculture sector is at the moment forced to pay.
