“Abi!” the tiny voice of a little boy attracted my attention while I waited for my groceries from a vendor. The old Turkish man was weighing the vegetables I wanted to purchase, when we were interrupted by the young guest. “Evet?” the wrinkles appeared in the corners of his eyes as his lips arched into a smile. The boy asks for a strawberry from one of the many boxes in the shop. Touched by the boy’s sincerity, the vendor offers him two, while commenting to me how amazed he is that the boy decided to approach him, instead of stealing the berry.
As we converse, the topic of the coming elections arises. It is a sensitive issue, since Turkish people are very divided. As soon as the vendor hears a question about possible victory of the opposition, his demeanor changes from a smile to a stern look. The bushy eyebrows lower over the nose, he is ready to defend his leader.
“Erdoğan is a strong leader to our country. What will the opposition do? Destroy the country!”
When faced with questions about inflation, poverty, and other results of Erdoğan’s lengthy rule, the Turk quickly dismisses the idea that the president did anything wrong. Instead, he blames the opposition, although he refused to explain exactly how the opposition was at fault.
Close to his shop is the office of Erdoğan’s party, AKP (Party for Justice and Development). Every hour, pompous music can be heard coming from it. It’s Erdoğan’s ‘soundtrack,’ meant to awaken nostalgia in his electorate for Turkey’s magnificent Islamic past. He wants people to believe that only he, a true Muslim, can lead the country to its former glory. The traditionally Islamic, Eastern-oriented Turkish population tends to support Erdoğan. They are cautious of Christianity and the West, and while they may disagree with the president’s economic decisions and disdain him for his corruption, the fear of the Christian West infecting Turkey prevails.
On the other hand, the Western-oriented Turkish values are associated with Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. He was the founding father of the Republic of Turkey, and its first president from 1923 until 1938. During his rule, Atatürk modernized the country in various fields, including economic, industrial, social, religious, and military. He is deeply loved by the Turks, especially the younger generation, who are very eager to speak about him.
It is also impossible to forget about Atatürk while walking through Istanbul. His busts stand in the school yards; his face gazes on the customers in the local shops; his quotes decorate postcards; his photos are on souvenirs and on the walls of the street. However, his importance is not merely nostalgic. A generation of Turks, craving modernization and disappointed in the current government, associate their dreams and desires for a democratic Turkey with the name of Atatürk. They are yet to find someone as worthy of their trust, as he was for their grandparents.
“Is there anyone who can truly continue the legacy of Atatürk?” I asked a young, vibrant Turkish lady, her pink coat and pink lipstick contrasting with the religious gloom of the vendor who supports Erdoğan. “There is no one like Atatürk!” she told me passionately, while taking out her phone and showing me the photo of Erdoğan’s opposition, a suited man with round glasses and a mustache. “However, Kılıçdaroğlu represents the opposition. I will vote for him”.
I ask curiously if her peers share those views. The lady laughed, as if she remembered something funny, and replied: ”We have a recurring joke, that if there was Erdoğan in front of us and a bottle of water … We would vote for the bottle of water!”
Mired in Scandal
The bottle of water could win this imaginary election because of Erdoğan’s failures and corruption. In an attempt to Islamize the republic, the president has built thousands of mosques, including one in Taksim Square (a symbol of the secular republic), and has overseen corrupt schemes and uncontrolled inflation. These alone would minimize the chances of prolonging his 9-year rule. However, the final blow to his image came from the recent earthquakes in southern and central Turkey. Erdoğan came to power back in 2003 as a prime minister of Turkey, just after a similar tragedy. He promised that if his party were in power, the response to earthquake devastation (and other challenges) would be much more effective. Now, 24 years later, his promises have proven to be empty.
“What happens, happens, this is part of fate’s plan.” With these words president Erdoğan spoke to one of the survivors of earthquake-stricken Pazarcık. Now this phrase is used to describe his activities during the tragedy itself.
The earthquake disaster allowed people to see the leading party in action. Many of the buildings that folded in on sleeping inhabitants were built in violation of the safety codes by firms close to the ruling AKP party. The president was also criticized for his slow response, the ineffectiveness of AFAD organization (governmental disaster management agency), and for deliberately blocking other rescue organizations that came to help. People raising money for survivors were blamed by the interior minister Süleyman Soylu of “exploiting donations and trying to compete with the state,” Not to mention the corrupt schemes, such as the ‘tent gate’ of Turkish Red Crescent (managed by an Erdoğan ally).
With all that in mind, while the tragedy of the earthquake was unavoidable, it is possible that more lives could have been saved if the proper measures were enforced. Regardless, the corruption of the current party should be condemned, not encouraged by another five years of rule.
Opposing Erdoğan
One of Erdoğan’s biggest critic is his opponent in the coming elections, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu:
There is a famous saying: If the thief is inside, the door will not hold a lock. The government’s budget and bureaucracy is in shambles. This system, this structure, does not go like this. We will fix this democratically. The real owner of this country is the people of this country. Let no one forget this.
Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu represents the Republican People’s Party (CHP), currently second to Erdoğan’s AKP party in the polls. He is an economist and has been the leader of the main opposition in Turkey since 2010. The party positions itself as Kemalist (Atatürkist) and adheres to the secular values of the republic. The notable representatives of this party also include the mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem İmamoğlu, who has already started to strengthen the city’s buildings for future earthquakes. He has also been open to working with Christians.
Many democratic, pro-Western or just anti-Erdoğan Turks plan to vote for Kılıçdaroğlu, due to his party’s historical ties with Atatürk. It is hard to predict who will win this year, and whether the victory will be satisfactory in the long run for the voters on either side; however people seem tired of the current regime.
The political preferences of the majority of Turkish citizens could be symbolically divided between the names of Atatürk and Erdoğan. Atatürk represents a set of secular democratic values, a pro-Western direction, and a longing for freedom. Erdoğan represents a traditional Islamic and pro-Eastern direction for Turkey’s future. While many Turks affiliate their political views with one of these two names, most soberly confess that none of the current candidates truly meet their expectations. Erdoğan is arms deep in corruption, while Kılıçdaroğlu is … not Atatürk. The crystallization of the two sets of values creates two possible futures for Turkey. We will find out which prevails at the election booth on May 14th.
