Turkey's 2015 Elections: A New Beginning for Turkey’s European Union Accession Goal, or the End of a Dream?

The Turkish general elections held on 7 June 2015 unexpectedly led to a significant alteration of political power in the country. Along with the decline in the AKP's votes, the elections resulted in increased electoral support for the opposition parties – the Republican People's Party (CHP), the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and the People's Democratic Party (HDP) – which altogether received around 60 percent of the vote. This commentary aims to assess the possible impact of the 2015 elections on Turkey's relations with the European Union. This question is partly tied to the possibility of political instability, but also linked to the process of democratisation in Turkey and whether a new momentum can be created in Turkey-EU relations.

Paper produced within the framework of the project Turkey, Europe and the World.