Skip to content
  • Image
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
  • Podcasts
  • Email
  • Subscribe to Ray’s Columns
  • Contact
The Arab Daily News

The Arab Daily News

Original news, features, opinions from Chicago to Jerusalem

  • About
    • About
    • Our Writers
    • Subscribe to Ray’s Columns
    • Book Store
    • Contact
    • Submit Book Reviews, Press Releases
    • Advertise
    • Privacy Corrections Policy
    • Profile on Ray Hanania
    • Submit Press Release
  • Features
    • Food
    • Book Review
    • Humor
    • Movies
    • Travel
  • Arab Stores Targeted
  • Arab Community Network Page
    • Arab Community Network Page
    • Arab Heritage America resources
    • Directory
      • Groups & Organizations
      • Mosques, Churches
      • Restaurants
      • 2008 & 2014 Arab Media Directories
    • National Arab Heritage Month
    • Video: Chicago Arab History
    • Video: Photo Array of Chicago Arabs
    • Overview of Arabs in America
    • Hanania standup comedy
    • Arabs on the Titanic
    • Obituaries
  • Podcasts
    • Ray Hanania on Politics Podcast
    • Arab News Ray Hanania Radio
    • Arab Radio Podcast intro
    • Radio Baladi Detroit
  • Hanania on Tiktok
  • Subscribe to Ray’s Columns
  • Toggle search form
  • photo credit author Nehemia Gershuni-Aylho www.NGPhoto.biz and Wikipedia
    Emergency Court Motions to Stop Elbit Drone Parts Shipment via Frankfurt Airport  Activism
  • American Journalist Shireen Abu Akleh murdered by Israeli soldiers May 11, 2022
    Documentary names soldier it says killed Shireen Abu Akleh in 2022 American Arabs
  • Committee to Protect Journalists, CPJ
    Jordan bans 12 news sites for ‘spreading media poison’ following corruption report Arab World
  • CAIR Logo. Council on American Islamic Relations
    CAIR Condemns MIT for banning Class President from Graduation Ceremony over Anti-Genocide speech Activism
  • ADC creates emergency fund to defend people who are being punished for expressing views on the American-sanction violence by Israel in the Gaza Strip. Photo courtesy of ADC
    ADC Condemns ADL, Rep. Torres’ Defamation of Dr. Lara Sheehi Activism
  • UN Special Committee on Israeli practices in occupied territories warns of a second Nakba  Arab World
  • Arab American community liaison Hassan Nijem, Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas and Bolingbrook Mayor Mary Basta at the Arab American Heritage Month event hosted by Pappas’s office.
    Pappas honors Arab American business and community leaders for Heritage Month Activism
  • 04-28-25 Pappas Arab Heritage Month
    Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas recognizes Arab American Heritage Month by honoring business and community leaders American Arabs
  • Stuffed Grape Leaves. Photo courtesy of Ray Hanania
    A recipe on how to make Stuffed Grape Leaves with lamb, ox tail and rice American Arabs
  • Andrew Boutros, interim US Attorney Northern District of Illinois. Photo courtesy of the US Attorney's Office
    Andrew S. Boutros Takes Oath of Office as United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois American Arabs
  • Israeli massacres of Palestinian civilians March 18 2025
    Palestinians demand investigation of Israeli war crimes in Gaza Strip Arab World
  • Illinois Muslim Action Day April 9 2025
    Illinois Muslim Action Day Policies at April 9 Statehouse News Conference American Arabs
  • Investigation demanded in March 23 massacre of 15 first responders by Israel's military in Rafah
    Investigation demanded into Israel slaughter of First Responder in Rafah on March 23, 2025 Arab World
  • More than a dozen candidates running for various local offices in the Chicagoland suburbs attended an Ifatr dinner Thursday, March 13, 2025 hosted by the Arab American Chamber of Commerce at the Jerusalem Banquet Hall in Bridgeview.
    Candidates promise fairness and engagement at Arab Chamber Iftar event March 13 Activism
  • Orland Fire Protection District, Fiscal Voices, receive endorsement of the Arab American Democracy Coaliton
    Independent candidates for Orland Fire receive Arab and Muslim American endorsement Activism

‘Sultan’ Erdoğan the Magnificent

Posted on November 2, 2015November 2, 2015 By Abdennour Toumi No Comments on ‘Sultan’ Erdoğan the Magnificent
SHARE ...
          
 
  

  • Tweet

‘Sultan’ Erdoğan the Magnificent of Turkey

By Abdennour Toumi

Abdennour Toumi
Abdennour Toumi

Paris, France — Turkey has won, those who want political stability and economic prosperity have won, and those who are fighting for democracy in the region have won.

In a stunning political season, the AK Party and President Erdoğan won a landslide victory in Sunday’s early parliamentary elections that left Turk leftists neo-bourgeois, Kurds nationalists, and the defeatists in the region, in shock. Both the Turkish ultra-conservative Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and the Kurdish Nationalist Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) have lost seats.

The HDP surpassed the 10% threshold needed to win seats in the new parliament.

The AKP party won almost 50% of the vote. That would give it about 325 seats in the 550-seat parliament, comfortably ahead of its three main rival parties and easily enough to form a government purely AKP.

With all the votes counted, the AKP won almost 50%, according to the state news agency Anadolu. The main opposition, Republican People’s Party (CHP), stood at 25.2%, crushing all possibilities of a coalition government. The HDP scraped over the required ten percent threshold with 10.6% of all votes, down from 13% in its historical score in the June 7th election.

Turkey
Turkey protesters

While passing the ten percent threshold, HDP has been bitterly disappointed, particularly after seeing their major losses in the eastern provinces and their struggle to maintain their position over the threshold.

In the eastern province of Muş, the votes for HDP declined by 24%, while the count dropped by 15% in Bingol, 13% in Van, and 12% in Agri and Kars.

The leading AKP Party all but snatched away the eastern provinces of Ardahan and Kars from HDP.  The AK Party also regained the majority of votes from the MHP in southern Osmaniye province which is the home of HDP leader Devlet Bahçeli.

Turkey
Turkey

CHP was left trailing far behind with 25.4% in second place.

The message is clear, the Turks and Kurds have decided to vote for political stability and economic prosperity, which they have been enjoying for a decade, by steering clear of anarchy, and Sunday’s results mark a record victory since 2002.

The election was a completely peaceful process despite a few minor isolated incidents in some cities. Not even the PKK nor ISO could disturb it. This was due to the huge number of police and military forces, more than 500,000, that were on hand during the proceedings. The people of southeastern and eastern Turkey defied the threats of the PKK and  against all odds went to the polls and supported the AK Party.

This election served as a referendum on President Erdoğan- Erdoğan vs. his ideological-geo-political opponents-who call him a dictator/sultan. Yet he showed them that true leadership can make risky decisions, in their view suicidal, in public foreign and defense policies.

Co-chairs of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), Selahattin Demirtas (L) and Figen Yuksekdag hold a news conference in Ankara, Turkey, November 1, 2015. Turkey looked set to return to single-party rule after the Islamist-rooted AK Party swept to an unexpected victory in elections on Sunday, an outcome that will boost the power of President Tayyip Erdogan but may sharpen deep social divisions.   REUTERS/Stringer/Turkey
Co-chairs of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), Selahattin Demirtas (L) and Figen Yuksekdag hold a news conference in Ankara, Turkey, November 1, 2015. Turkey looked set to return to single-party rule after the Islamist-rooted AK Party swept to an unexpected victory in elections on Sunday, an outcome that will boost the power of President Tayyip Erdogan but may sharpen deep social divisions. REUTERS/Stringer/Turkey

There is also concern regarding a civilian constitution and the possible establishment of a presidential system.

In respect for this audacious and tough leader, ninety percent of the Arabs from Muscat to Nouakchott would have voted for his party, because they are hungry for a leader and a president who cares about them, their safety and the national security and prestige of the country.

So, Turkey has won, those who want political stability and economic prosperity have won, and those who are fighting for democracy in the region have won. President Erdoğan and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu are major winners at a time when the majority of the political analysts had begun the absent’s prayer for them.

Turkish President Erdogan
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan

But by the power of the vote they have been resurrected and strongly so in light of the Syrian dossier and more importantly the Kurdish question in north Syria.  Although Premier Davutoğlu was harshly criticized about his Syrian adventure (Turkey’s zero problem foreign policy strategy) today his boss is smiling and the quiet nights of sleep are ending for Assad.

Furthermore, Tehran, Moscow and Washington are watching the video of Sunday’s game attentively, because the results have sent them back to square one.

Regarding the local Kurdish question, certainly today President Erdoğan and the moderate Kurds will continue their tactical talks to find a final solution for this thorny issue, and by bringing back APO (uncle) Öcalan to the scenario rather than Demirtaș,  whose political amateurism cost him a bright future, going from king-maker to a populist “hoca.”

Pic 6
On the contrary, many analysts are still betting that President Erdoğan won’t listen and will take the country into an unknown future. Hence, politics is like football or rugby, blocking and tackling are basic components of the game, and to be successful in politics or sports, a player must know when to block and when to tackle.

The Gülen movement, the leftists and the narcissistic academicians (Turks and Kurds alike) did everything to overthrow the AKP and President Erdoğan, even to aspire throwing him in jail like President Morsi, dividing the AK Party to form a fifth party from it, and involving Abdullah Gül in this scenario — but they have failed. Certainly President Erdoğan and his Premier read the message as a severe warning from the voters in the June 7th elections.

The Western media and his detractors in Turkey and the region have tried to label President Erdoğan a dictator/‘sultan’ and fuel the impression that his project and political Islam are on the way out. But the Sunday election results have given him an unarguable political mandate to stand before his supporters in Turkey and the region as a magnificent leader, whom it seems “got” it, hence polity rhymes with reason.

newswire info
  • About
  • Latest Posts
Abdennour Toumi
Follow me:
Abdennour Toumi
Abdennour Toumi:
- France correspondent for The Arab Daily News.
- www.bareed-areej.com Editor-in-Chief
رئيس تحرير مجلة بريد الأريج
- Political consultant at IMPR a Think-Tank based in Ankara, Turkey.
- Member at the European Observatory for Arabic Language Teaching based in Paris, France.
- Affiliated with Sociology of Islam Journal and contributor at Middle East Studies / International Studies, Sociology of Islam and Muslim Societies Center, Portland State University in Portland, OR.

EDUCATION: Diplôme des Études Approfondies (DEA) in Political Science from Toulouse University I, France. Master’s degree in Law from Algiers University, Algeria.

Email im at: nourhty@gmail.com
Abdennour Toumi
Follow me:
Latest posts by Abdennour Toumi (see all)
  • The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Is the Neither-Peace-nor-Security As-sumption Dominating Again? - June 7, 2021
  • Algeria: “I Can See Clearly Now” - August 5, 2019
  • Majesty Mohammed VI and General Gaïd Salah Tear Down This Wall! - July 29, 2019

  • Tweet

SHARE ...
          
 
  
 
          
 
 Tweet 
Abdennour Toumi, Arab World, Bloggers, Commentary, News Tags:Justice and Development Party (Turkey), Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Republican People's Party (Turkey), Turkey

Post navigation

Previous Post: American Arab attorney honored by Law Bulletin
Next Post: AFC president’s FIFA presidential bid mired in abuse of human rights allegations

Related Posts

  • Connecting Dots: USS Liberty, Niger, Admiral and Senator McCain Arab World
  • Saudi business women in Jeddah. Photo courtesy of the Saudi Embassy
    Saudi Arabia Issues Sweeping Changes to Enhance Role of Women in Society Arab World
  • Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump press conference Wednesday Feb. 15, 2017 at the White House East Room. Photo courtesy of the White House
    Americans for Peace Now criticizes Netanyahu attack on New Israel Fund Activism
  • Leading Muslims turn backs on Armenian genocide Arab World
  • Boehner’s Boner Bibi’s Toast Vanunu’s Freedom Soon or Later Arab World
  • Sonia Anne Khalil campaigns for Illinois State House 36th District
    Sonia Anne Khalil campaigns for Illinois State House 36th District Activism

More Related Articles

Illinois gubernatorial candidate Christopher Kennedy addresses the Arab American Democratic Club brunch March 19, 2017. Photo courtesy of Steve Neuhaus Kennedy defends Illinois Muslims in opening mosque American Arabs
National Muslim groups challenge 1915 Armenian massacre Activism
Agencies battle racism, Islamphobia Christian & Muslim
Journalists at a rally for Barack Obama Fake news vs Biased news in America’s political system Arab News
PTSD Nation and Gaza’s Children of Resilience Arab World
Churches for Middle East Peace logo Israeli killings of more than 800 civilians in destruction of hospital and six mosques in Gaza denounced world wide Christian & Muslim

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Ray Hanania's 4 times a week columns at https://RayHanania.com at Substack

Enter Your Email to Subscribe to Ray Hanania’s Columns

  • OPINION COLUMNS
  • Photo courtesy of Journalist Abdennour Toumi
    France: Political Compromise vs Political Instability
    August 28, 2024
  • Zakia Restaurant in Atlanta, Georgia
    Arabs eat Middle East food like they are making love
    June 27, 2024
  • Zwar lamb kabob and kufta with white and yellow rice
    Zwar ranked the Best Middle East restaurant in Chicagoland suburbs
    June 8, 2024
  • Pictured: Rahm Emanuel, Afghan activist Salman Aftab who was co-chair of the Iftar dinner, and several non-Arab Muslim leaders. Also pictured is Ald. Joe Moore. Photo courtesy of Ray Hanania for Arab News
    Comprehensive look at the failings of former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel
    January 18, 2024
  • NEWSWIRE
  • CAIR Logo. Council on American Islamic Relations
    CAIR Condemns MIT for banning Class President from Graduation Ceremony over Anti-Genocide speech
    June 1, 2025
  • Arab American community liaison Hassan Nijem, Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas and Bolingbrook Mayor Mary Basta at the Arab American Heritage Month event hosted by Pappas’s office.
    Pappas honors Arab American business and community leaders for Heritage Month
    April 29, 2025
  • 04-28-25 Pappas Arab Heritage Month
    Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas recognizes Arab American Heritage Month by honoring business and community leaders
    April 27, 2025
  • Mike Ghouse
    Celebration of 500th Interfaith Marriage Ceremony
    February 14, 2025

Creative Commons License
All work on this website is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Do not edit original work. Give credit to the original source.

  • NEWS
  • photo credit author Nehemia Gershuni-Aylho www.NGPhoto.biz and Wikipedia
    Emergency Court Motions to Stop Elbit Drone Parts Shipment via Frankfurt Airport 
    June 7, 2025
  • American Journalist Shireen Abu Akleh murdered by Israeli soldiers May 11, 2022
    Documentary names soldier it says killed Shireen Abu Akleh in 2022
    June 1, 2025
  • BOOK REVIEWS
  • Faisal Abbas Book Anecdotes
    Book Review: Arab author shares his anecdotes living in the United Kingdom
    October 22, 2024
  • Columnist Ray Hanania at the ADC Convention in Dearborn with the author Susan Abulhawa
    Book Review: Mornings in Jenin bySusan Abulhawa
    September 14, 2024
  • ENTERTAINMENT
  • Television set and remote. Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash
    MBC GROUP unveils MBCNOW, its brand-new groundbreaking entertainment service aggregator
    February 24, 2025
  • ArabCon 2024 Gala Program features Dr. Cornel West, Macklemore, and more
    September 6, 2024
  • New-iTunes-1400-x-1400-The-Ray-Hanania-Show-Podcast-Icon-300-x-300.jpg
  • Podcast-iTunes-Logo-Chi-City-Hall-1985.jpg
  • terroristbookcover-300-x-300.jpg
  • The-Kings-Pawn-Book-300-x-300.png
  • powerpr300x300ad.jpg
Arab News Newspaper Logo
Read the Arab News, the leading English language newspaper in the MIddle East

Follow Ray Hanania at
Twitter
Facebook
TitkTok
BlueSky
RayHanania Columns

Click here to get information on The Ray Hanania Radio Show and its podcasts

Copyright © 2025 The Arab Daily News.

Powered by PressBook Premium theme