"The AKP victory in Turkey is the victory of the Turkish middle-class
Guido Rampoldi analyses the victory in Turkey of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) which has had its leadership renewed in the legislative elections held on Sunday July 22nd. 'It is the other Turkey that has won: the Turkey of the petit bourgeoisie, the shopkeepers and thus the moderates. And if this middle class is far from the Kemalist project, it is not as fanatic as is being said either. The form of Islam it represents is Turkish, the supplest of all. This middle class's distrust of the Kemalist State, wisely interpreted by the AKP, allowed it to stimulate the lazy Turkish economy. There has been an enormous increase in foreign investments, the GDP is growing as fast as Asia's and the stock exchange is thriving. And salaries have almost doubled. Islam is not the winner of these elections, but rather a government with a good record.'"
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