Will an Islamist party leave if not elected?

Maybe it is not everybody’s opinion but a portion of the public in Turkey and in the world believe Islamist political parties “may come to power through elections, but they do not leave even if they lose elections.”

The concept of “coming with elections and leaving with elections” was an expression once used against coup d’états. Thank god, Turkey has left that period behind. We have to admit that in overriding this judgment, the contributions of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the Justice and Development Party (AKP) have been huge. 

It has become the common opinion of all of us, the idea that a party that has been elected can only leave through elections. 

Now it is time to break the second prejudice, to believe the view and opinion that those Islamist parties who start ruling through elections would leave if they are not elected. 

Now, here are the questions concerning the AKP: 

They came by winning the elections; they have been ruling for 13 years. They control almost all of the state. Is the AKP one of those “Islamist” political parties that would try to not leave even if they lose? Or are they a central party with Islamic sensitivities that would respect the national will expressed at the ballot box?  
If it loses the election, would it share the government? 

The question is this: Is there a political party today in power that represents the will expressed at the ballot box? No. Because the AKP has lost majority but it is still the first party in parliament. Second, coalition talks are continuing; for this reason it is wrong to say “they are not leaving.”

However, there is another fact: The AKP, at times when it was strong in parliament, started the peace process with a bold decision. It sat at the negotiation table with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and made a deal with İmralı. I think it was good. While it was doing this, it had the parliamentary majority’s will supporting it. 

The same AKP now is making a decision that could have very heavy consequences to Turkey or make it enter a war. But this time, it does not have the majority of the people supporting it. Moreover, while there is a very serious opportunity present for a coalition, it eliminated this opportunity because of the pressure coming from above. 

In other words, it does not accept a coalition culture, respecting the ballot box. Parliament remains dysfunctional. 

Then, this time, we are left with that deep suspense inside us: “Islamic parties come with elections but when they lose the majority at the ballot box, they do not respect that will.” Unless the AKP explains in a clear and credible way why it has not formed the coalition, then this prejudice in our minds will deepen. 

Writers Bekir Coşkun and Yılmaz Özdil 

Columnist Bekir Çoşkun mentioned “the guy who scratches his belly,” and that neighborhood jumped to their feet. 

Columnist Yılmaz Özdil said “jerry can heads;” they again jumped to their feet. 

They expanded the expression used for certain people; they generalized it and accused the writers of “insulting everybody who voted for the AKP.” 

Now, here are the words that columnist Mehmet Barlas wrote in an article titled “Deficiency of intelligence” about those who voted for the Kurdish issue-focused Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP):

“The situation of those who have voted for the HDP… solely because of their obsessive hate for President Erdoğan, can be understood by examining them with the intelligence criterion rather than honesty, right? While some of them… weigh the state and the PKK on the same scale and make a call that ‘Arms should be silenced bilaterally,’ can you see that their problem is not associated with honor, it is associated with intelligence?” 

Am I reading it wrong? He is calling those who make the call for peace “idiots.” Let us do what they have done once and generalize it. This writer is calling all those people who have voted for HDP “retarded.” 
Thus, it is official that in this country anybody can call anybody else “retarded.” If you have a powerful uncle in Ankara, if the police, justice and intelligence organization are under your control, you can say anything. 
Well, then where did Bekir and Yılmaz make a mistake?