For the first time in 16 years, Turkey’s secular parties win.
Win?
Yes, they can, they have won in major cities of the country: Istanbul, Adana, Ankara, Izmir, Antalya, Mersin, Hatay, most of them on the Mediterrean Turkish coast line. A historical rule in Turkey says who wins the major cities, wins Turkey, this rule never lied in the Turkish history.
This election can be called a “big coup,” Akram Benoglu, won the crown of the Istanbul municipality, which was the place of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s rise.
This victory must be a painful blow to Erdoğan, who grew up in Istanbul.
Not only Istanbul, but the defeat of Erdoğan’s party in Ankara is also a big blow to the president, it will be added to the shock of Istanbul. For the first time since the establishment of the AKP, the party is losing Ankara. Erdoğan, who dominated the Turkish political scene since his rise to power 16 years ago, ruling the country with an iron fist, campaigned tirelessly in Istanbul, calling a victory a “fateful issue” for Turkey, lost his voice in their fields in vain.
The question has always been:
What is the reason for Erdoğan’s setback?
There are many reasons … Yes many.
The first reason, not the decisive one, is due to the economic dimension. Erdoğan came to power through an ecstasy achieved by the economies he ran in the Istanbul municipality in 2002. Turkey’s economy has been collapsing and fatigue. For several years now, especially after the transition to the presidential system, Turkey has witnessed collapses in its economy, along with the decline of democracy and the rule of law, following the arbitrary measures against opponents of Erdoğan and his Islamic
Party. According to a survey the economy of Turkish industry contracted for a related year due to a slowdown in domestic orders and export orders, according to a committee from the Istanbul Chamber of Industry and IHS Market, stressing that “the activity of Turkish factories continues to shrink.”
The economy, however, is a very important factor for the Turks, but there is something of equal importance if it does not exceed it. Freedoms are not an issue that can be underestimated: Turkish prisons have narrowed the detainees to the degree which has led the Turkish government to build new prisons to accommodate political prisoners, politicians from various directions, secularists, Islamists and Kurds, while the professional lives of Turkish journalists are sanctioned. There is a demand for the restoration of public freedoms to citizens, who were robbed by Erdoğan and his Islamic political system.
Opposition leader Kamal Kılıçdaroğlu said:
“People voted for democracy, they chose democracy.”
Turkey has not yet resolved the issue, but the big coup has unleashed its spark.
The Sultanate is on its way to collapse in the alleys of Istanbul.
In the alleys of Ankara.
In the alleys of Edirne.
The voice of the people, stronger than the crown of the Sultan.
Copyright © 2019 The Middle East and North Africa Media Monitor.
