‘People are tired of Erdogan’

They say enough is enough. You have become tired, retreat. A new era will dawn,” the head of the largest opposition party, CHP, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, told the DPA news agency. The people of Turkey longed for democracy, freedom and justice.

Turkey’s parliamentary and presidential elections are scheduled for June 2023, but could be brought forward. An alliance of six, including the CHP and the national conservative party Iyi, want to nominate a common candidate against Erdogan. Their aim is to abolish the current presidential system, under which Erdogan has had far-reaching powers since 2018. Moreover, the judiciary is in many areas under the control of the government, as criticized by the European Commission.

Former Erdogan confidant and politician of the Iyi Party, Turhan Cömez, referred to the general discontent in the country with an inflation rate of more than 80 percent. Erdogan controls all state institutions and the judiciary, but he has lost popularity, Comez told the DPA. “People have clenched their hands into fists and are preparing to teach Erdogan a lesson at the polls.”

The Islamic conservative ruling party AKP, on the other hand, does not seem impressed by the opposition’s self-confidence. Although the economy is an important theme in the upcoming elections, according to AKP circles, Erdogan is still trusted. Polls also showed that voters did not trust the opposition to improve the economic situation, said Özer Sencar, head of the Metropoll polling station. He therefore warns Erdogan’s opponents against being too optimistic. “Erdogan can beat a weak candidate,” Sencar said.

One potential candidate seen as particularly promising – Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu – was banned from politics in mid-December. If this becomes final, he should not be up for election. Observers judge the move to be politically motivated, with the aim of maneuvering an opponent of Erdogan into political obscurity. Erdogan denied influencing the verdict.

Kilicdaroglu, who is also being traded as a candidate, said regarding the election that he did not trust Erdogan or the election authorities. He criticized the judiciary as acting “on orders” from the presidential palace. The opposition is therefore preparing and training thousands of election workers.

According to polls, neither an electoral victory for Erdogan nor for the opposition is currently considered certain. In the last elections in Turkey in 2018, approximately 1.4 million Turks in Germany were also eligible to vote.

(SDA)