Theodora Papatheodorou
(RIEAS Research Associate)
Copyright: Research Institute for European and American Studies (www.rieas.gr) Publication Date: 28 March 2015
Introduction
In November 2002 and July 2007 the Turkish electorate voted for the Adalet ve Kalkinma Partisi (AK Parti) demonstrating a great risk for broad political change. There was some doubt whether a modern democratic party with deep roots in political Islam was in the position to expand liberties and preserve the democratic system. The AKP had been described as an "Islamist or Islamic party", "fundamentalist party", "party with Islamic roots" or, as the economist called it "Mildly Islamist". Nowadays, several authors use the phrase "democratura" in order to explain the new model of the Justice and Development Party and its political choices and tactics...Read more