The New York Times asked this question: Are the elections in Turkey free?

The newspaper’s correspondent in Turkey, Ben Hubbard, used the headline “Are Elections in Turkey Free?” and said: “Before the most difficult election of his career, President Erdoğan turned on the Treasury taps, increased the minimum wage and announced many spending programs. While all of Erdoğan’s speeches were broadcast live, he was rarely seen his opponent on state television.

“The electoral process is also controlled by the electoral board, which has made controversial decisions in the past that will benefit the president. Despite this, Mr. Erdogan may still lose. The fierce race shows the complex character of Turkey: neither full democracy nor full autocracy, but a mixture of the two. But elections can bring change.

In the New York Times news, under the headline “Party Advantages”, it was stated that “Erdogan starts with the advantage of AKP moves such as state affairs, welfare benefits and new roads.” In the news, “the main news channels are owned by businessmen close to Erdoğan and the media organizations that oppose him are also fighting with sanctions and lawsuits. According to recent studies, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu was seen on TRT for 32 minutes, while Erdoğan was on 32 hours.”

While a separate title was launched for the YSK, it was recalled that this institution has also reacted to the decisions made in recent years. While it was stated that it was decided to accept unstamped ballots in the referendum held in 2017, it was emphasized that voting in Istanbul was not accepted in the 2019 local elections.