For the first time, the intensity of the Turkish presidential elections has reached this frantic level of conflict between the candidates, as the size of the competition appears to be close between the six-party “opposition” table led by Kemal Kilicdaroglu, versus the alliance of the “public” between Erdogan with the nationalist movement and some other parties.
This fierce competition for the Turkish presidency is intertwined with economic, political and international conflicts, as its outcome is considered to affect Turkey’s international and regional role, and therefore the date (Sunday) May 14 will have repercussions on several internal and external levels.
And while the Turkish opposition began to mobilize the masses to the field, taking advantage of what was reported about the health of the Turkish president, Erdogan responded to this by appearing at the largest electoral rally in Istanbul, and initial estimates spoke of the mobilization of his “Justice and Development” party of nearly two million Turks, which reconsidered his popularity. The opposition claims that it has declined recently, but this, according to many observers and analysts, is not enough to win the presidential elections.
There are several objective factors affecting the upcoming Turkish elections, the most prominent of which is the factor of young people who lived and grew up under the rule of justice and development since 2002. This generation, which is estimated at about 12 million voters, is currently being fought over by Turkish parties that seek to adapt to the mood of this generation.
Despite the opposition’s criticism of the Justice and Development Party that it does not address the youth category, the response came from the Turkish parliament’s candidate for the party in the third district in Istanbul, Recep Sayyar, when he said: “We are a twenty-something party, half of which is made up of young people,” as this factor is considered one of the most prominent New factors on the Turkish elections.
As for the other factor, it is the economic factor. The economic conditions are in light of the decline of the Turkish lira to frightening levels in recent times, as it reached 20 liras against the dollar in a stage that may worsen in the coming period. However, the surprise was represented in the announcement of the Turkish president, on the ninth of May, Increasing the minimum wage, in a strong response to the opposition, which has long accused Erdogan of being responsible for the decline in the economic level of the Turkish citizen.
There are many factors, including what is internal, and what is related to Turkish politics at the external and internal levels, but there is a factor that cannot be ignored. This is the extent of the external interference in these elections, which was recently revealed by the Turkish Interior Minister, Suleiman Soylu, when he accused opposition figures of being dependent on European dictates, and this would complicate the electoral process and lead to a bone-breaking stage between the political parties.
Soylu went to great lengths in his statements, when he said, “What is happening in Turkey is funded by America, as it did in Hungary and Bulgaria, but Turkey changed the rules of the game. We choose our destiny ourselves and we will not allow America to interfere.”
in our affairs.” And he considered that there are external parties interfering in the Turkish elections.
All of the above are factors that overlap with each other before the start of the Turkish elections, which will really change the face of Turkey, whoever the winner is. The Justice Party is demanding change after ruling the country for nearly twenty years, and the opposition is also calling for a new vision for a country that constitutes a vital weight on the international scene.
On May 14, Turkey will indeed be at a crossroads, as 64,113,941 citizens inside and outside Turkey will decide the fate of the Turkish leadership in the coming period, as this huge number of Turks cast their votes on 191,000 ballot boxes across the country and 5,000 boxes outside. And 6 thousand and 215 voters vote through mobile boxes in 421 regions inside Turkey.
The Turkish elections are no longer an internal issue as much as they reflect the nature of the Turkish role in the region at the regional and international levels, especially since Turkey is now present in many international and regional files, especially the regional and Arab files.
