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While the AKP still contests the results in Istanbul due to “tricks and irregularities” in the voting process, the outcome is no less remarkable. In recent years, President Erdogan and the AKP worked diligently to centralize power in the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of the government, particularly since the failed coup attempt in 2016. The party has also come to control print and television media. With the exception of a number of small-market media outlets, criticism of President Erdoğan, the AKP, or the government has largely been self-censored, leading to favorable and stale coverage of political and economic developments. However, despite the AKP’s campaign efforts to turn the state of the economy into a security issue with roots abroad, the electorate did not buy into the party’s overall poor economic performance over the past several years. Voters clearly repudiated the AKP’s politics in search of an alternative.
Since 2014, Turkish elections have witnessed unprecedented levels of electoral manipulation accusations aimed at the ruling AKP, which seemingly found a way to ensure favorable results in almost every election. For instance, according to Council of Europe observer mission, millions of votes might have been manipulated in the closely contested 2018 constitutional referendum. Not only did these results collectively demoralize opposition groups during elections, but they also created an aura of a predestined AKP victory. Breaking the AKP hold on Ankara and Istanbul—cities critical to the AKP’s national rentier system—is thus a major achievement for the opposition.
The unexpected wins in Ankara and Istanbul should provide the opposition an opportunity to hold the AKP accountable and break its monopoly over Turkish politics. In two of the largest municipalities in the country, which the AKP held for more than two decades, the opposition has frequently voiced charges of corruption. Now, the new mayors of Ankara and Istanbul will have opportunities to expose corrupt practices and attain the moral high ground.
The results outline a path to contest the AKP’s unchecked power successfully. In a highly polarized social and political environment, setting aside differences for the shared goal of wresting power from the AKP appears to have paved the way for opposition parties’ success. Strategic voting—voting for a candidate other than the one you prefer in order to avoid fragmenting the vote and leading to an undesirable outcome—has proven to be the key for Ankara’s and Istanbul’s mayoral races. Secular voters used this tactic most effectively in the June 2015 legislative elections to support the bid by the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) for parliamentary representation. Overall, however, this tool remained largely underutilized by Turkish voters until the 2019 elections. The results from major cities such as Ankara, Istanbul, Izmir, Eskisehir, and Adana show that voters from opposition parties flocked to the top candidate challenging the AKP in that district, successfully using strategic voting to consolidate support around a single opposition figure. In each of these cities, the AKP candidate and the main opposition candidate jointly obtained 96 percent or more of the votes.
In addition, the opposition has an opportunity to challenge the AKP on its reputation as a service delivery party. The AKP laid the foundation to its unwavering societal support with successful delivery of services in its early stints at local governance, especially in Ankara and Istanbul. This legacy served the future AKP leaders well. Yet increased partisanship and patronage has made the AKP a far less effective provider of services in recent years, creating an opening for the opposition. By providing a viable alternative that can provide services as effectively, if not more so, the CHP and other opposition parties can forge a strong relationship with the electorate, which might in turn help their prospects in legislative elections.
Meanwhile, even as the AKP channels most of its energy toward contesting results in races it lost, the party and President Erdoğan face two options. They can take the hard lessons of the elections to heart—that failure to provide services and economic prosperity has electoral consequences—and spend the next four and a half years during which no elections are scheduled to return to the fundamentals of strong economic growth. The party can do this by providing services, building infrastructure, and creating jobs instead of suppressing criticism and waging ideological wars to purge opponents from all sectors of the society. The AKP and President Erdoğan have the tools and the political power necessary to act on these goals—but not the political will, because the party’s extensive control over the state, economy, and society is likely to create an illusion of invincibility and power despite the recent losses.
Alternatively, the AKP might give in to fear and intensify its recent devolution into authoritarianism in order to survive. Such a course of action, for which the party has shown greater inclination, would require it to crack down further on dissent by an emboldened opposition. For example, in a self-defeating manner, the party might opt to undermine the new mayors from the opposition parties by denying them central government funds, among other tactics. Polarization and heightened social, political, and ethnic tensions helped build a coalition that enabled the AKP to win successive elections in tumultuous political times since 2014. However, this strategy is losing steam, and it is unclear whether the party can sustain this in the long term without greater suppression and, possibly, widespread electoral manipulation.
As Turkey enters a new political episode, two countervailing factors evince cautious optimism. The electorate sent an important message that the AKP no longer enjoys the electoral immunity the party presumed to possess. This re-establishes a degree of electoral accountability—a bright spot given the recent trajectory of Turkish politics. However, the inability of the opposition parties to unite in their expressed goals of holding the Erdoğan government accountable on corruption charges in 2015 still defines what the opposition can—and, mostly, cannot—do vis-à-vis the AKP.
A.Kadir Yildirim is a fellow at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy focusing on religion and Middle Eastern politics. Follow him on Twitter @akyildirim.
New styles, new colors, new options: A little bit of new keeps things interesting. To wit: Dockers has reinvented its classic cotton chino with a brand-new contemporary fit. With 12 shades to choose from, you can even add a new color or two to your closet.
Cotton trousers ($52 each) by Dockers.
Remove your most roughed-up shirts from rotation and replace them with new ones. It won't cost a fortune — try this Black Brown 1826 shirt from designer Joseph Abboud — and you'll have fresh basics for the rest of 2010.
Shirt ($59) and tie ($49) by Black Brown 1826.
And who better to provide smart-looking, casual upgrades than David Chu, the founder of Nautica and the man behind Lincs?
Peacoat ($295), polo shirt ($65), and trousers ($85) by Lincs David Chu; leather-and-suede sneakers ($98) by Fossil.
Because a man can't survive on two pairs of dress shoes alone, and with a pair of dapper yet functional monk-strap shoes, you'll give yourself 50 percent more options for daily wear.
Derby shoes ($1,660) by John Lobb.
It fits better, feels great, and, in the case of Prada's MTM program, gives you more than 250 cloth options. The brand also offers MTM shirts in vintage Prada prints.
Suit (from $2,625), vest (from $895), shirt (from $445), and leather shoes ($595) by Prada.
Because Saks Fifth Avenue has revamped its house line, and for essentials, e.g., good cashmere, that don't break the bank, make it your first stop.
Cashmere sweaters (clockwise from left, $295, $285, $325) by Saks Fifth Avenue Men's collection.
Black watches, that is. From shiny black steel to carbon fiber, a black watch is both more distinctive and more discreet than gold or silver.
And with Tumi's new travel guides, packed with inside dirt on eight global destinations, you'll know exactly where to go.
Boxed set of travel guides ($125) by Tumi.
Because when you pair it with casual staples like Banana Republic's sharp tweed blazer and cords, you can up your style quotient with minimal effort.
Blazer ($325), shirt ($125), silk tie ($70), corduroy trousers ($60), and shoes ($140) by Banana Republic.
No stiff liner, no cheap backing fabric, nothing to make it lie awkwardly on the chest: A seven-fold tie is the best kind of tie, and you should consider it an exclamation point to whatever you're wearing.
Silk tie ($195) by Dolcepunta.
Resolution No. 37: If I haven't already, I will find a good tailor. And I will listen to him.
Resolution No. 52: I will dispose of any clothing I haven't worn in two years.
Resolution No. 70: I will tie my tie with my nondominant hand every once in a while.
Resolution No. 71: Because it's exercise for the brain, that's why.
Resolution No. 86: I will not fall for cheap haircuts, shoddy cashmere, or other false bargains.
Forty years ago, Alan Johns started working out to lose weight. He met his goal -- 40 pounds less when he hopped onto the scale.
But as this Fort Worth doctor discovered, meeting a weight goal is only the beginning of a lifelong commitment to fitness. And though his regimen didn't prevent him from developing breast cancer, it did help him better deal with having the disease. Twenty years later, he's yet to lose his passion or his oomph.
"My goal now is to be as healthy and active as possible for as long as possible," says Johns, 69. "George Carlin said it best: 'Good health is simply the slowest rate at which we die.' "
Dr. Alan Johns walks his dog, Zoe, on one of their thrice-weekly predawn walks. The Fort Worth gynecologist had breast cancer 20 years ago. He was in shape then, and he is now. Having it, he says, "was merely a blip in my fitness regimen."
Three days a week, I do a brisk walk, including hills, for 90 minutes, five to six miles. Two days a week, I work out with a trainer for 30 minutes, followed by 30 to 40 minutes on the elliptical or walking. Two days a week, I play golf.
None at all. I did it before and after breast cancer (diagnosed at age 49). My breast cancer was just a speed bump in my regimen.
Dr. Alan Johns, with his dog, Zoe, says: "There is no better stress reducer than exercise."
Do intervals on the elliptical machine.
Exercise and good health do NOT prevent cancer, but they helped me survive all the crap those doctors did to me.
Finishing the most recent workout this morning; one less I have to do in my lifetime.
A good bottle of chardonnay, orange juice to go in my bourbon if it's not a "chardonnay" night, and bacon for emergencies.
Laugh and ignore all politicians.
Work. Unfortunately, I still love what I do.
"I still love what I do," says Dr. Alan Johns, who was diagnosed with breast cancer 20 years ago.
There is no better stress reducer than exercise. Even something simple like walking outside in the open air does a fantastic job of clearing your mind. Your goal should be to be in better shape than your doctor, who probably does not have breast cancer.
I'm horribly regimented and determined to live both better and longer than I probably should.
Local choir Treble Clefs have raised money to support Bexhill Caring Community.
The choir’s musical director Keith Richardson presented a cheque for £250 to Caring Community chairman Cllr Stuart Earl.
The presentation took place at the end-of-season party held by the Treble Clefs as they begin their summer break.
The Treble Clefs have enjoyed another very successful season, in only their second full year of singing as a Community Ladies’ Choir, gaining a “Special Merit” at the Hastings Musical Festival in March.
They went on to appear at the De La Warr Pavilion as part of the supporting community choir in Adam Hepkin’s Magic of the Musicals, which included west end star Ruthie Henshall. They followed that with an appearance in the Last Night of the Bexhill Proms, both events being part of the Bexhill Festival of Music.
Their own Summer Spectacular was held on July 4 at St Augustine’s Church, Cooden Drive.
Acknowledging the fact that July 4 was American Independence Day, the choir included some American songs in the community singing part of their programme.
Stars and Stripes flags decorated tables and a very special American car from the 1930’s was on display as the audience entered the church.
He went on to add: “We are a Community Choir, singing for joy, and it gives us a great deal of joy to be able to put something back into the community at times like this”.
After their summer break the Choir will be back rehearsing hard for their next choral appearances which will be in December at the Royal British Legion in Little Common and at St Martha’s Active Leisure Club. Enquiries about booking the Choir should be made direct to the musical director, Keith Richardson, on 01424 218216.
Suspended University of Zimbabwe vice Chancellor Levi Nyagura still insists that the Doctor of Philosophy (Phd) degree tendered to former first lady Grace Mugabe is still valid.
Nyagura filed his application for exception of charges to court today arguing that what the state is prosecuting him with does not constitute a crime.
He told the court that the degree which he is being questioned for offering it to Grace Mugabe was not illegal but was a proper procedure according to the university’s constitution.
“The charges by the state fail to consider three important facts. Firstly the PhD remains extant.
“Its validity cannot be put in question by criminal process. Section 7 of the University of Zimbabwe Act reposes the power to rescind and set aside degrees in the chancellor,” reads the application.
Nyagura went on to say that the former first lady’s questioned degree remains valid at law and as such the process by which it was conferred valid.
He insisted that no criminal sanction can be attached and his actions are prima facie valid.
Nyagura filed his application before trial magistrate Lazini Ncube at the commencement of trial following his application of stay of proceedings was squashed at the Constitutional Court, (Con court).
The suspended UZ chancellor is answering to allegations of giving away a degree to former first lady without proper procedures.
The degree raised eyebrows of many activists including students, who held many demonstrations demanding explanations at the university premises.
The degree was awarded to Grace Mugabe during her husband, Robert Mugabe’s ‘mis-governance’ which was axed by the Mnangagwa’s new dispensation in November 2017 through a coup-de-tat.
Piccolo Sogno…. in Italian, it means “little dream.” It was Tony Priolo’s big dream to open his own restaurant, serve rustic Italian food and see the dream become a success. His dream came true. Plenty of foodies head to Chicago’s West Loop to taste the cuisine and enjoy some of the huge wine collection. First time visitors are in awe of the restaurant’s beautiful year-round outdoor patio and call it a heavenly experience.
Being a chef means putting in long, grueling hours. Despite that, Tony does his best to keep his family first. At Piccolo Sogno, we’ve talked about Tony’s wife and little daughter and how he is continuing a tradition by teaching her to love food the way he does.
Tony’s earliest memories are of the importance of family: sitting in his grandmother’s kitchen, watching her cook, listening to her stories, learning how to make the food he loved. She didn’t stop there. She took young Tony with her, riding the bus, going to Italian markets, then specialty markets … to find just the right ingredient, always the freshest ingredients. He suspects he became her favorite grandchild because he loved those trips to the markets , as well as lots of stops to bring home made dishes to family friends.
As he grew up, Tony realized he was much more interested in what was going on in the kitchen than in the soccer fields. So, he became a chef. He clearly believes he chose this life because of his grandmother and became a better chef because he remembered the lessons she taught him. Tony’s second restaurant is named Nonnina, in her honor. Nonna is the Italian word for grandmother; Nonnina is an endearment.
At Nonnina, Tony serves his grandmother’s meat balls, a dish he can make with his eyes closed since he learned how to make these meat balls when he was a little boy. As Tony taught me, you can make them large, you can make them small. Either way, they’re delicious. I hope you’ll watch the video at Chicago Sun-Times.com.
In a large mixing bowl combine all ingredients, except salt, pepper and breadcrumbs.
Add salt and pepper, mixing in well. Set aside, let settle for 15 minutes.
Begin rolling mixture into 3-ounce sized meatballs, or size desired, individually roll in breadcrumbs, covering completely.
In a cast iron pan add a little (enough to cover bottom of pan) olive oil to brown meatballs on all sides.
Remove meatballs from pan. Place on baking tray and cook for 8 minutes in oven at 350 degrees. Remove from oven, let stand to rest. Serve with pasta as a meal or alone as an appetizer. Enjoy!
Watch all the Food We Love episodes!
WATCH: A special family recipe to help celebrate Ramadan.
Along with Pace University, IMA recently sponsored the first-ever Women’s Accounting Leadership Series (WALS), which gathered high-profile accounting and finance leaders to explore trends and topics important to the profession. One of the event’s creators was Leslie Seidman, the executive director of the Center for Excellence in Financial Reporting at Pace University’s Lubin School of Business and former FASB Chairman. In this interview, I spoke with Leslie about key takeaways from the event and how businesses can promote female leadership in accounting.
Jeff Thomson: What was the catalyst for the Women’s Accounting Leadership Series?
Leslie Seidman: During International Women’s Week In March, I got a call from a reporter asking why there weren’t more women on corporate boards. While there are systemic reasons for that, I also realized that I could be doing more to help women advance through the accounting and finance ranks in corporate America. Jeff, you immediately embraced the idea and suggested that I partner with key women in the profession, including former Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) Chair Sandy Richtermeyer. Together, we designed the WALS program to provide an interactive forum for women of all levels to discuss career issues, as well as current business issues, and provide a support structure for women in corporate finance and accounting roles.
Thomson: What are some of those issues for women in accounting and finance? Why do you think women leave the profession?
Seidman: I’ll let the data speak for itself. In a 2013 Accounting MOVE Project report, Engage or Exit?, 69% of women interviewed identified work/life balance issues as the top barrier to advancement, and 48% said that women still lack female role models.
At our event, I was concerned to hear a number of young women say they couldn’t imagine staying with their current employers if they decide to start a family, because their managers work very long hours and don’t appear to have responsibilities at home. I think the key take-away from this exchange is actions speak louder than words. If women don’t actually see their managers leading balanced lives, they don’t think it’s possible, despite any “family-friendly messaging” a company is trying to convey.
I can relate to their experience. I’ve been in the profession for 30 years. While there were a few women in leadership positions when I worked for Arthur Young and JP Morgan back in the ‘80s, I don’t recall any senior women who had children, or if they did, it wasn’t something people talked about at the office. So, the women of my age had to figure it out for ourselves. I had my daughter after I left industry and joined the FASB staff. I took a bit of an off-ramp for a few years when my daughter was young, but I stayed engaged as a consultant, wrote a book and volunteered on an IMA committee. Later, as a FASB board member and then the chair, I tried to be open about how I was managing the demands of my career with the demands of raising a child. In my experience, the higher up you go in an organization, the more control you have over your own schedule and how work gets done on your team.
Thomson: What initiatives have you experienced within an organization that you believe helped?
Seidman: The most influential factor in my career trajectory was what I’ll call “action-based mentoring” from my managers. Early in my career, I was brought along to high-level industry meetings and given other high-visibility experiences so I could see first-hand what it was like to prepare for a meeting, present material effectively and observe the interactions among the management ranks. I firmly believe in the saying: “If you can see it, you can be it.” So, as the chairman of the FASB, I always tried to bring “up-and-comers” with me to key meetings, to see how I prepared and how that translated into conduct at the meetings. Also, the FASB has a number of advisory committees, which are a great way for people to broaden their experience and network with the senior people in the profession. I also always made sure to suggest the names of several women whenever we were trying to fill a vacancy.
Thomson: What leadership skills do women need to succeed in accounting?
Seidman: Accountants take great pride in their technical skills, but I don’t think that’s what makes a good leader. To me, the most important personal trait of an aspiring leader in the accounting profession is self-confidence. It takes courage to stand up for what’s right, to disagree constructively, to make tough decisions and to set strategy for your firm or company. Self-confidence comes from taking calculated risks and succeeding at them. After a while, you start to believe you have good judgment and are comfortable making decisions, which is very different from knowing all the answers.
Thomson: Do you believe women struggle with being leaders?
Seidman: Most of the women leaders I know really enjoy what they do, and a recent survey sponsored by Pershing and BNY Mellon shows people prefer a leadership style that involves coaching, innovation and listening, which are traditionally female traits, rather than a command-and-control model. I think the bigger issue is getting women far enough along so that they can become leaders.
One of the most common questions I’ve heard from aspiring women is how to be assertive and ambitious, but not seem aggressive or pushy. First, it’s important to acknowledge that these words are not synonyms. The first two words reflect confidence and determination, which are highly desirable in a work setting, while the latter two words suggest heavy-handed force without collaboration, which is not professional behavior for either men or women. I also think it’s tremendously helpful to have an objective sounding board for any key career conversations you plan to have, to help you frame your requests or feedback in the most effective way possible.
Thomson: How can accounting and finance leaders and executives – both male and female – make a personal effort to create an even playing field?
Seidman: I think we need to be on the lookout for high-potential women and do whatever we can to provide the right developmental opportunities to ready them for leadership roles. We need to provide clear and candid feedback about strengths and specific developmental areas. We also need to be thinking about women in our succession planning discussions, making sure that women are in the pipeline of potential candidates for key positions in the company. I think experienced women leaders need to be available for consultations about the issues women are currently facing, to give them the support they need. Finally, while I appreciate the competitive issues at play, I think employers should share information about which strategies and programs are helping to retain and promote women, so that our profession as a whole is viewed as a place where women can advance, become leaders and have balanced lives.
Oct. 16, 2014, 7:14 a.m.
Wed­nes­day night was the dead­line for can­did­ates to file their fun­drais­ing re­ports for the peri­od end­ing Sept. 30. For many House can­did­ates, these in­clude quarterly fun­drais­ing fig­ures from Ju­ly 1 to Sept. 30, but for can­did­ates who had to file pre-primary re­ports mid­way through the third quarter, today’s re­ports in­clude fun­drais­ing totals from their pre-primary re­port through Sept. 30.