Countdown To Elections In Turkey And The Turkish Way Of Voting

According to Hurriyet News, Recep Tayip Erdogan, the Turkish prime minister, visited one of the main opposition parties’ office during his last tours for election campaign.

I think it is a great accomplishment for Mr. Erdogan to stop, point fingers, and start a dialog with the “other” side of Turkey, the side that has 48% support of voters, according to recent surveys.  However, elections are an interesting time in Turkey, where things can change rapidly.

So far, the leaders of all popular parties have visited many towns and cities in Turkey, but these cities happen to be primarily in the eastern part of the country, where most of the conflicts exist.  The reasons behind the focus on conflicted regions are originated by the different ethnic groups and the eastern part of the country following a more united tradition in terms of votes. The more a party leader identifies with these groups that are mostly united in tradition and religion, the closer he is to electoral victory.

Yes, this may sound strange compared to western election traditions; however to me a Turkish political party’s destiny mainly lies on these connections. Just like any other place, Turkey has naturally grouped people living together in different towns. For example, populations that are close to western seaboard will be more open minded or secular, in terms of today’s Turkish ideology struggle, than people living in eastern parts of the country. The southeast region of Turkey is mainly home to the Kurdish minority, which is seen as a deciding factor by party leaders in the upcoming elections.  Besides, from natural, geographical, and demographics perspectives, there are historical and traditional elements of voting as one, or not having an individual sense of decision making.

The reasons behind these trends and voting behavior go back to the Ottoman era and beyond, all the way to Battle of Menzikert, where Turks first settled in Anatolia. Turkish traditional living was then too structured as big families living together usually had a father figure with a decision making power, who were known as “aga”. Collectively, these people always had something in common such as being members of the same family, believing in the same rituals or sharing lands. However, Turks rarely lived together for an ideology or made their own individual decisions without a father, a tribe leader, a sultan or whoever as a uniting figure.  This type of living was a deciding factor in the Ottoman Empire’s long rule, because Ottomans knew this structure well and organized it even better for people living in rural areas. 

Not much has changed in eastern Turkey in terms of living traditions and during elections these close bonds among the population of this region make them have similar voting behavior. Moreover, these people seek happiness and satisfaction after a very problematic term of AKP governance, but mostly because they will trust and believe in their community leaders. 

Many conclusions can be drawn from these trends in Turkey:

1)      Certain parts of Turkey need to be much more educated in order to make their own decisions based on personal political observations.

2)      Many times what is promised by the party leaders during campaigns will not be satisfactory. In this case the influential groups or people should ask for the reasons why their promises were not delivered since they lead their communities.

3)      If elected, this will be the 3^rd time for the AKP to run the country. Everyone should judge how much improvement it has brought to their lives.  I read Mr. Erdogan’s speeches often where he states many statistics such as decreasing foreign debt or unemployment rates. The voters should check the accountability of these statements.