2023-05-25 13:40:54
Ankara. The Associated Press (AP) news agency, which is considered the largest news agency in the world, has signed a remarkable analysis about President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Underlining that Erdogan has managed to overcome political crises such as mass protests, corruption accusations, coup attempt and refugees fleeing the Syrian civil war for 20 years, the EP notes that now the Turkish people and economy are crushed by high inflation, and many are still trying to recover after the earthquake on 6 February. . However, it is stated that Erdoğan, who has increasingly authoritarian impulses and narrowly missed the victory in the first round, entered the race against the Nation Alliance candidate Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu as the strong favorite in the second round.
So, what is the reason why Erdogan has been in power for a long time and appeals to large masses, despite his weak hand?
By highlighting Islamic values, 69-year-old Erdogan has helped conservative and religious voters form a deep bond with him in Turkey, a country defined by half a century of secularism. Consolidating his power in power by using government resources for his own political advantage, Erdogan spent generously on infrastructure investments to please his voters, and tightly controlled the media to silence criticism. Erdogan, who attracted many Turkish voters with his maneuvers in the global arena, showed that the country can display its military power in its relations with the East and West.
“The demand for stability, not change, outweighs”
Erdogan’s popularity during the economic crisis can also be explained by the fact that he has been in power for a long time. Interviews with voters and experts reveal that many want stability, not more change.
“In times of national crisis like this, people often rally around the leader,” said Gönül Tol of the Middle East Institute, a Washington think tank. “The voters don’t have enough faith in the opposition’s ability to solve problems,” he says.
Erdogan, Turkey’s longest-serving leader, could hold the presidency until 2028, if he wins the election on May 28, extending his power to the third decade.
The support statement made by ATA Alliance candidate Sinan Ogan yesterday may give Erdogan an advantage on 28 May.
According to the Associated Press, the election campaign that Kılıçdaroğlu built on Erdogan’s rhetoric that he would reject his inflation-fueling economic policies and his increasingly authoritarian tendencies had difficulties in attracting Erdoğan supporters.
Speaking to the AP, AK Party voter Ankara security officer Bekir Özçelik said, “Look at the point our country has reached in the last 20 years. There is no leader in the world that can compete with Erdogan,” he said, and claimed that the opposition would take the country back 50 years.
Özçelik and many other supporters see Erdoğan as a leader who demonstrates that Turkey can be a major player in the geopolitical arena.
A key NATO member due to its strategic location between Europe and Asia, Turkey also has the alliance’s second largest army. During Erdogan’s rule, Turkey has proven to be a sometimes problematic but indispensable NATO ally.
Turkey, which vetoed Sweden’s participation in NATO and was removed from the F-35 program by purchasing the Russian S-400 air defense system, nevertheless pioneered the food corridor agreement with the United Nations, which ensures the safe export of Ukrainian grain from the Black Sea to starving countries.
Erdogan, who supported the opponents of Syrian President Bashar Assad in the civil war that broke out in Syria in 2011, used the refugee influx that started as a trump card against European countries and threatened Europe to open Turkey’s borders and cause a refugee invasion. Türkiye currently controls large areas of northern Syria.
Experts note that during the election campaign, Erdoğan highlighted Turkey’s military industry sector and introduced domestic-made UAVs, aircraft and the warship, which was introduced as the world’s first “UAV ship”, and that this message attracted the voters in the first round of elections on 14 May.
In domestic politics, Erdogan highlights the profile of Islam in the country whose secular roots are frayed.
Erdogan, who abolished the rules that restricted the powers of the secular army and prohibited women from wearing the headscarf, accused Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and the opposition of defending LGBT rights, which he described as “deviant”, in order to reinforce the support of the conservative base in these elections.
“The biggest threat is the economic crisis”
But the biggest threat Erdogan faces is the economic crisis, according to the Associated Press. Erdogan’s main method of countering the declining purchasing power of families was to rapidly increase government spending. According to experts, the increase in public expenditures, along with Erdogan’s policy of interest rate cuts, is fueling inflation even more.
Increasing public and pension salaries and paving the way for the early retirement of millions of citizens, Erdoğan introduced ease of payment in electricity and natural gas bills, and cleared some household debts.
Promising that all necessary expenditures will be made to ensure reconstruction in the earthquake zone, Erdoğan gave the message that only his government can rebuild the earthquake zone at every groundbreaking ceremony he attended.
Despite the criticism that the search, rescue and aid activities were delayed after the earthquake, the AK Party won the provincial round elections in 10 of the 11 provinces affected by the earthquake.
Erdogan supporter from Ankara, Mustafa Öztürk, argues that Turkey is not the only country struggling with inflation since the COVID-19 pandemic, despite the decline in living standards due to inflation.
Saying that inflation is not Erdogan’s fault, Öztürk says that he will never vote against Erdogan, and that he feels he owes Erdogan for putting Islam forward in society.
“Erdogan’s message grows with strict control over the media”
Erdogan’s message and power are further enhanced by his tight control over the media.
CHP RTÜK member İlhan Taşçı notes that since April 1, the state television TRT Haber has allocated 48 hours to Erdoğan and only 32 minutes to Kılıçdaroğlu.
The Associated Press notes that Kılıçdaroğlu’s promises to fix the economy and protect women’s right to wear the headscarf in schools did not find a response in Turkey’s conservative regions.
Gönül Tol from the Middle East Institute said, “Kılıçdaroğlu changed the image of the opposition party, but Erdoğan controls the discourse, so there is a factor of fear among conservative women who wear headscarves. “They believe that when the opposition comes to power, their situation will worsen.”
After HDP supported Kılıçdaroğlu, Erdoğan created the image that the opposition was supported by Kurdish “terrorists”. The opposition’s efforts to reject this rhetoric were rarely covered in the mainstream media.
Washington Institute expert Soner Cagaptay notes that Erdogan “meticulously devised a victory run with his rhetoric based on state institutions, information control, and demonizing the opposition as terrorists or not enough Muslims.”
“The media turned the discussion into a rhetoric about how Turkey turned into a military industry under Erdogan’s rule, and it worked,” says Çağaptay.
According to experts, the fact that the People’s Alliance, which is made up of nationalists and Islamist parties, gains the majority in the 600-seat Grand National Assembly of Turkey, gives Erdogan an advantage in the second round. This is because many voters are likely to support Erdogan to prevent the government from splitting.
Erdogan, on CNN Turk television last week, emphasized that they have the majority of the parliament and that a stable government will bring peace and prosperity to the country.
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