Turkey’s AKP wins; Greek’s economic woes; Syria bloodbath continues
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey's prime minister, has been elected for a third term. The results of
Sunday's parliamentary elections show that ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) won more than half of the votes cast. Erdogan has pledged to
build a new constitution for the country by consensus, and said he would work with rivals.
Among the
issues during the campaign
were providing the large Kurdish minority with secure rights, and
rewriting the 1982 constitution. However, the AKP’s win have been
largely attributed to its overall economic and cultural approach over
the last nine years.
The results of the election further emphasise the need for greater unity
in the vast and divided country, with analysts lauding the poll as an
example of democracy for the Middle East.
Greece’s economic crisis has sunk to a new low, as Standard & Poor's cut its credit rating by three notches to CCC, the
lowest rating of any sovereign nation in the world. As fears mount over
Greece’s debts, stock markets around the globe have also fallen.
The
country has been struggling
with high unemployment and unstable currency values. With Athens'
overall debt reaching $489.6bn. This week, talks have taken place over
Greece’s repayment plan when the
EU-IMF loan runs out in 2013.
Debt restructuring is the most likely short-term outcome, but Eurozone
officials believe the country will likely need further aid in some form.
The Syrian army has begun operations in
Jisr al-Shughur,
a northern town near the Turkish border, as anti-government protests
are held in cities across the country. The government said the operation
aimed to restore security in the town, where 120 security personnel
were allegedly killed by "armed groups'' last week.
As military operations in the town prompted an
exodus of refugees to Turkey, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon praised the Turkish government for its generosity.
More than 1,200 people, mostly civilians, have reportedly been killed in
the crackdown protests that began in March. More than 10,000 have been
detained, yet
demonstrators continue to challenge the ongoing presidency of Bashar al-Assad.
