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Simeon Mitropolitski is a Canadian analyst, of Bulgarian origin, and a former syndicated columnist with the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA). He is the author of several hundred articles dealing with hot political and economic topics, both national and international.

He was part of the first group of Bulgarian intellectuals and students that began the opposition movement that finally put an end to the communist regime in this country in 1989, and in 1996-1997 participated in international observation teams during the elections in several Balkan countries - Romania, Albania and Bulgaria.

In 2002 Simeon and his family moved from Bulgaria to Canada where they live now in Montreal, province of Quebec. Simeon is a Master of Political Science from McGill University and a B.A. of Political Science and History.

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The Turkey's ruling party, Justice and Development, considered by its opponents of being crypto-Islamist, is heading toward a new parliament majority. Like in 2002, its political opponents are bitterly divided. The irony is that this party proved to be the best economic manager in a generation. If its 2002 victory was more a result of the divisions in the camp of traditional parties, its new victory will be a result of its good records in both domestic and international field.

Turkey is a country where the religion and the state are officially separated. Like in France. In fact, this separation means that the state has the upper hand in all matters, including the religion, which is traditionally Muslim. Again like in France, all citizens are considered Turks by default, which means no national minority is allowed to exist. The republic is composed of people with equal rights. That was the political legacy of the founder of the modern Turkish state in the years following the decomposition of the Ottoman Empire.

For decades, politicians with strong anti-religious feelings have ruled for most part the country. Educated in Europe or America, they tried, with more or less abilities, to marry the principle of secularism with political democracy. This, however, proved to be a difficult task in a country where large segments are still entering modernity, and where religion is far from disappearing. Therefore, it wasn't surprising that for at least four times after the World War II the Turkish military intervened in political life. The reasons for these interventions were to stop political and religious extremism from capturing the state; in fact, these interventions just showed the world that democracy isn't stable in a country where the small political elite is the main guarantor of the secular state.

Against this background of political insecurity, coupled with economic mismanagement and international tensions with most of the neighbors, it's rather surprising to note that the current government that came to office in 2002 showed remarkable resilience in keeping all these files in good order. Notwithstanding its ideological affiliation with political Islam, it didn't challenge openly the secular foundations of the state; it put the state finances in order; and, it was moderate on the international arena, allowing the negotiations for EU membership to start after decades of unfruitful promises.

Chances are that the ruling Justice and Development Party will double its victory in the parliament election scheduled for this July. There is also a real chance for the main opposition parties to block its majority. Many analysts predict that in this case the most probable scenario will be a coalition government that includes the current ruling party. An alternative majority of left intellectuals and right nationalists is only mathematically possible. It will be very unstable and will open the door for either new military intervention or a new Justice and Development Party government. Maybe a small and secular coalition partner is exactly what the current government is looking for, pacifying the fears of the military and making sweeter the Turkish candidacy for the EU.

Turkey country profile:

• Area: 780,580 sq km
• Population: 71.1 million (July 2007 est.)
• Population growth rate: 1.04% (2007 est.)
• Life expectancy at birth: 72.9 years
• Total fertility rate: 1.89 children born/woman (2007 est.)
• GDP per capita: purchasing power parity $8,900 (2006 est.)
• Main trading partners: EU countries, USA, Russia, and China.
• Internet users: 16 million (2005)

(Sources: CIA World Factbook 2007, Reuters)

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See also the directory of companies providing real estate services in, and general real estate information of Turkey.