Eurotopics.net

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's AKP remains the strongest force in Turkey after local elections. But it was forced to admit defeat in the biggest cities. The opposition won in Ankara, Izmir and Antalya and scored a narrow victory in Istanbul. Some commentators see the result as heralding change. Others believe Erdoğan's grip on power is still rock solid for the time being.

The government in The Hague launched an initiative for reviving the negotiations on a pension reform, which have already gone on for eight years. The move came after pension funds threatened with cutbacks because they are running out of reserves. Commentators see the Netherlands' Polder model in which employers, trade unions and government representatives seek a consensus together as having reached its limits.

Die AKP von Präsident Recep Tayyip Erdoğan bleibt nach der Kommunalwahl in der Türkei stärkste Kraft. Doch in den großen Städten musste sie Niederlagen einstecken: Die Opposition gewann in Ankara, Izmir, Antalya und knapp auch in Istanbul. Einige Kommentatoren deuten dies als Vorzeichen eines Wandels. Andere glauben, dass an Erdoğans Macht vorerst nicht zu rütteln ist.