6 February 2010 / İSMET BERKAN RADİKAL,
We have entered into what is perhaps the longest ever election campaign season in the history of our nation’s multi-party democracy. Even if it hasn’t yet been officially labeled as such, the fact is that we are already in the midst of an election season set to last 18 months or so.
This particular campaign season was started off simultaneously by all of our political parties. The opposition parties only very recently began speaking of possible early elections; the ruling administration brushed off these suggestions, and lo and behold, we entered into a climate of elections. And the real question is this: are we, the ordinary citizens of the nation, really prepared for the 18-month stretch of tension and polarization before us? Can we handle it? I think we need to view the recent fistfight in Parliament, as well as the verbal sparring that generally marks our political arena these days, within this framework. It is clear that an exceedingly trying 18 months await this country.
