In Turkey, the party that convinces its electorate to vote on March 31 will win the election but not truly achieve victory. A significant portion of the opposition electorate is disillusioned, thinking, “They just can’t come to power!” They are disgruntled with their parties. The ruling party’s electorate is also unhappy. Despite repeated support, problems have become chronic, the cost of living increases daily, and purchasing power is decreasing.
Turkey, with its official inflation disconnected from market realities, ranks fifth in the world after Argentina, Lebanon, Syria, and Venezuela. There is no war, no famine, no embargoes like Russia or Iran, and no boycotts. While global food prices are relaxing, in Turkey, they have been rising without interruption for the last 42 months. Europeans do not discuss the prices of meat and dairy, while in Turkey, dates are sold by the piece, and baklava by the slice.
The government leaves no vacuum; thus, even if Erdoฤan, whose credibility on this issue is ‘zero’, declares “This is my final election!” for the umpteenth time, Bahรงeli takes it seriously and says, “You can’t leave.”
People have stopped dreaming, all opposition parties are falling apart, and decay is everywhere.
A recent example; the Labour Party of Turkey withdrew its support for Gรถkhan Zan, whom it had nominated in Hatay. Officially, they cannot retract his candidacy as the process has begun and the ballots have been printed, but they declare, “He is not our candidate in practice!” Why? Because of allegations of financial negotiations post-election tied to his candidacy. According to journalist ฤฐsmail Saymaz, Gรถkhan Zan negotiated with the AKP not to withdraw his candidacy! The case has been referred to the prosecutor… However, his profile was quite controversial from the start. It would have been impossible not to know.
On the other hand, the Kurdish political movement is signaling a “yellow light” to the government for restarting the solution process. Prominent figures from Selahattin Demirtaล to Leyla Zana and Ahmet Tรผrk maintain hope with similar statements that “there will be no trustees appointed to the municipalities elected on April 1.”
However, as Turkey becomes more authoritarian, the Kurdish issue remains unresolved. Solutions are not discussed in an authoritarian country. As the country moves towards a “regime dictatorship” (distinct from Erdoฤan, I’m speaking of a kind of politburo regime), neither the Kurdish issue nor other major problems are solved; on the contrary, they grow exponentially.
The Soviet Union, due to its stagnant system despite appearing to be planned, economically collapsed in the 1980s. When it officially disbanded in 1991, people were desperate for bread, and it took 10 years to recover. Shrinking to the borders of Russia and granting independence to the union countries did not bring prosperity overnight. It couldn’t anyway. Relief is a process that takes years.
In the 33 years since the Soviet Union’s collapse, Putin has been in power for 23 years.
Yesterday, he emerged “victorious” from an election whose outcome was already known. President for life. 56.4% of the wealth is controlled by 1% surrounding Putin. In Turkey, this ratio is 39.5%. That is, approximately 40% of wealth belongs to the top 1% elite, and this gap is widening.
Last week, Turkish Airlines announced that “even if you have a visa, additional checks may be required for entry into 6 South American countries.” These countries are Venezuela, Mexico, Colombia, Cuba, Panama, and Brazil. That is, even with a visa, you might be turned away at the door for one reason or another. The carefully concealed issue in the news is the perception of Turkish passport holders as “potential refugees.” Not just the West, but even South America now refuses tourists they are not sure will return to their departure point. When I received a message in a WhatsApp group from someone living in the UK saying, “Guys, absurd things are happening!” I was surprised. Are you upset that those who have established lives abroad are unaware of the current perception, or that your country is treated like Pakistan, it’s hard to say.
On Sunday, the Presidents of the European Commission, Italy, Greece, and Belgium were in Egypt. They promised President Sisi โฌ7.4 billion. Why? To keep African migrants at bay. When I saw complaints on social media like “How could Turkey not be at this summit?” I forgot about the friend saying “absurd things are happening.”
How can someone not know that their country has been held as a “natural refugee camp” through such agreements for years? And unfortunately, this now includes not just Syrians or Afghans… but all 85 million citizens.
