This Sunday the Turkish people will go to the polls for a new president and a new parliament. After twenty years of Erdogan, Turkey may soon have a new political leader. According to the latest polls, Kılıçdaroğlu is at 49% and Erdogan at 43%. “It’s a make-or-break thing,” says Petra de Bruijn, an assistant professor of Turkish studies at Leiden University.
Fair elections
“I’m still hard-headed about it,” says De Bruijn. “I hope Kılıçdaroğlu wins.” But he doesn’t expect fair elections. “The race for elections is not fair. The media is mainly in the hands of AKP supporters, so the information supply is very unevenly distributed. Elections in Turkey have been fairly fair so far, but it is not yet clear whether that will be the case this time around. The AKP does everything possible to influence things. Last week there was coverage of some kind of government-owned police force where the results are supposed to go. Much still remains to be done. Even the opposition is very aware of it, it is at the top”.
Hate speech
According to de Bruijn, it is still questionable whether Erdogan “hands over power”. ‘In recent weeks there have already been several violent incidents, probably involving radical supporters of the AKP. They are currently very incited by Erdogan’s extremely hateful speeches. The AKP also makes it look like this electoral defeat is a Western-backed coup.’
He continues: “Turkey is a country in a serious economic crisis. There is skyrocketing inflation and huge public debt. It will take time to recover and will require all sorts of unpopular measures. The AKP will extensively measure anything that goes wrong. Furthermore, the judiciary and state apparatus still largely consist of AKP supporters. Very large companies are affiliated with the AKP. And we must not forget that 95% of the media is in the hands of the AKP’.
Parliament
There will also be a parliamentary vote on Sunday. ‘It is certain that Kılıçdaroğlu’s People’s Party will not get the majority. Their following is not that big. But they formed a coalition. If this coalition doesn’t get a majority, you will get a situation like in the United States. It therefore becomes very difficult to implement far-reaching measures. It’s not a pleasant situation.’
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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.
