Opposition in Turkey: Much frustration, little hope

As of: 05/28/2023 8:07 p.m

In Turkey, everything points to another five years for Erdogan. How this is seen in the country, what are the reasons and what are the consequences, estimated ARDcorrespondent Katharina Willinger on tagesschau24.

Did voters of Turkish origin tip the scales abroad? According to information from ARDcorrespondent Katharina Willinger in Ankara, many supporters of the opposition are angry about the voting rights of Turks abroad. For example, the Turkish community in Germany tends to vote for incumbent Recep Tayyip Erdogan with a clear majority; in the event of a tight election result, it could be precisely these votes that decide in the end. “It’s a very controversial topic here,” said Willinger tagesschau24.

“Many say that in the end the votes of the Turks living abroad might be decisive.” It annoys many Turks that the result abroad is much clearer than here in Turkey, says Willinger. In the first ballot two weeks ago, Erdogan received around 65 percent of the votes among those of Turkish origin who were eligible to vote in Germany; According to Willinger, there could have been even more in the runoff.

Will there now be an exodus of the boys?

While the supporters of the incumbent president are of the opinion that only Erdogan can bring Turkey forward, many opposition supporters now fear that the country could drift further towards autocracy under another Erdogan term, according to Willinger. They feared “there will be further cuts in the rule of law, in women’s rights, in the economy.”

The economy is already a permanent construction site: “We have incredibly high inflation. It’s officially around 50 percent, unofficially it’s probably much higher,” said the ARD-Correspondent. Many expected further deterioration here, because the Turkish government has a “trust problem abroad”. “I don’t think Erdogan will get it under control that quickly,” Willinger estimated.

Another important factor for the general mood in Turkey is the perspective of young people. According to Willinger, many of them say “that if Erdogan remains in power, they no longer want to stay in Turkey because they lack the economic opportunities, the social, the political alternatives.”

According to the electoral authority, incumbent Erdogan is ahead with around 54 percent.
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Conservatives and media support Erdogan

Regardless of the economic situation and the criticism of how the earthquake disaster was handled, according to Willinger, there are still large parts of Turkish society that continue to support Erdogan. “This is the part of Turkey that is conservative and religious,” said the correspondent. “A lot of them say ‘he’s one of us’. He gave a voice to the religious in the country.”

According to Willinger, another important factor that was decisive for Erdogan’s success is the media, which is largely controlled by the government. The fact “that Erdogan had an incredible advantage in the media, in reporting, in the election campaign – not just the incumbent bonus – that he was able to give various expensive election gifts – he has lowered the retirement age, he has the minimum wage a few months before doubled the election. Of course, Kilicdaroglu couldn’t do that.”

The incumbent also appeared much more frequently than the challenger in media reports, “and this isn’t about two or three more programs, it’s about a difference of 40 hours for Erdogan and 40 minutes for Kilicdaroglu on state television before the first ballot.” In the end, things like that could make the difference.

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