Although Turkish voters abroad ultimately play a marginal role in Turkey’s election on May 14, President Erdogan is also trying to draw votes from the diaspora. That’s what headhunter and publicist Aylin Bilic says in BNR’s Big Five. According to Bilic, half of Turks vote in the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Germany. “And 70 percent of them voted for Erdogan last time.”
Listen to the full conversation here
According to Bilic, this is less true for the US and the UK. “America traditionally has a lot more expats, so they will vote less for Erdogan. This also applies to the UK, but also to the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Germany. Half of them voted and last time 70% voted for Erdogan’.
“There are many people, even in Holland, who have left because of him and because of the inflation”
Shocked
Erdogan has always acted as patron of the Turkish community in the rest of Europe. However, Bilic says he is shocked by how Erdogan is trying to tie that electorate to the diaspora. He gives the example of a journalist who asked Erdogan if he could imagine that residents of Turkey find it irritating that the diaspora is voting. The president responded negatively and then praised the Turks abroad whom he said are victims of discrimination and exclusion and whose mosques are being vilified. “Well that story goes on for minutes and I can imagine the viewer here in Amsterdam Osdorp or Rotterdam South thinking: oh, that man, that’s my leader, I’m going to vote for him.”
Expats
Incidentally, according to Bilic, the number of Turkish expatriates in Europe is still increasing because the brain drain from Turkey, the outflow of highly educated people that began under Erdogan, is still ongoing. A victory by Erdogan’s challenger Kemal Kilicdaroglu could turn the tide. ‘There are many people, even in Holland, who left because of him (Erdogan, ed) and because of inflation. They just want their children here in a Dutch school (…) while for generations they have simply had good studies and jobs in Turkey. Is happening.’
Even in his immediate surroundings, Bilic sees more and more Turkish “native speakers” who have bought or rented houses in the area and who send their children to school here. Not so much with the intention of settling down permanently, but because the economic and political situation in Turkey under Erdogan is not optimal. ‘Something is happening (…). But from Turkey’s point of view it obviously makes a lot of sense to look at how to combat this brain drain.’
Source: BNR
Sharon Rock is an author and journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. She has a passion for learning about different cultures and understanding the complexities of the world. With a talent for explaining complex global issues in an accessible and engaging way, Sharon has become a respected voice in the field of world news journalism.
