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‘AUTOCRATIC RULE’ OF ERDOGAN CRACKS AS SECULAR LEFT WINS BIG IN
TURKEY ELECTIONS  
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Brett Wilkins
April 1, 2024
Common Dreams
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_ "You opened the door to the rise of democracy, equality, and
freedom," Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu said following his
re-election. "You ignited hope at the ballot box." _

Opposition supporters celebrated in Istanbul and other cities as the
scale of victory became clear, REUTERS/Umit Bektas

 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's Justice and Development
Party suffered its worst-ever defeat Sunday when the country's main
opposition party scored major wins in municipal elections, including
in all five of the nation's largest cities.

With nearly all ballots counted, candidates for the center-left
Republican People's Party (CHP) emerged victorious in Istanbul, the
capital Ankara, İzmir, Bursa, Adana, and other cities and towns.
Turkish media reported CHP victories in 36 of the country's 81
provinces. The right-wing Justice and Development Party (AKP)
performed best in the largely rural Anatolian interior.

It was the first time in Erdoğan's 21 years as Turkey's increasingly
autocratic president that the AKP suffered such a nationwide electoral
defeat.

"My dear Istanbulites, you opened the door to a new future today,"
incumbent CHP Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu told jubilant supporters
during his victory speech following what's likely to be a double-digit
win over AKP challenger Murat Kurum. "Starting from tomorrow, Turkey
will be a different Turkey. You opened the door to the rise of
democracy, equality, and freedom... You ignited hope at the ballot
box."

Imamoğlu said that Sunday "marks the end of democratic erosion in
Turkey and the resurgence of democracy."

"People oppressed under authoritarian regimes now turn their gaze to
Istanbul," he added.

In Ankara—where an ecstatic crowd chanted "Turkey is secular and
will remain secular!" and "Tayyip resign!" outside the city hall—CHP
Mayor Mansur Yavaş promised his second term would be one of greater
inclusion after beating his AKP rival by a stunning 25-point margin.

"Our political views may be different... But now the election is
over," he told supporters. "We will... continue to serve 6 million
Ankara residents without discrimination."

Erdoğan, meanwhile, acknowledged
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the AKP "lost altitude" with Sunday's sweeping losses, vowing, "We
will correct our mistakes and redress our shortcomings."

Imamoğlu's reelection was a personal blow to Erdoğan, an Istanbul
native who launched his political career as the megacity's mayor in
the 1990s. The AKP had set its sights on retaking control of Istanbul
and Ankara but came up empty-handed.

Analysts said skyrocketing inflation, the collapsing value of the
lira, disaffected Islamist voters, and Imamoğlu's popularity—which
transcends the CHP's traditionally secular base—were major factors
in Sunday's results.

So was the Gaza [[link removed]] genocide.
While Turkey is supporting
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South Africa-led genocide case against Israel at the International
Court of Justice, Erdoğan and the AKP have been accused—especially
by Islamists—of paying little more than lip service to the cause of
Palestinian liberation, while Imamoğlu has said that Turkey should
immediately sever trade relations with Israel.

Experts said Imamoğlu's victory puts him, and the CHP, at the center
of Turkish politics.

"Imamoglu demonstrated he could reach across the deep socio-political
divisions that define Turkey's opposition electorate even without
their institutional support," Mert Arslanalp, assistant professor of
political science at Istanbul's Boğaziçi University, told
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"This makes him the most politically competitive rival to Erdogan's
regime."

In the predominantly Kurdish southeast, the progressive People's
Equality and Democratic Party (DEM) won 10 provinces. Election-related
violence erupted in parts of the region, including in the village of
Ağaçlıdere in the Sur district of Diyarbakır, where DEM polling
officer Emin Çelik was killed
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around a dozen others were wounded. There were multiple reports of
Turkish police violently dispersing
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celebrating election wins.

International leftists hailed the big wins by CHP and DEM candidates,
with Party of European Socialists president Stefan Löfven cheering
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he called "a great victory for democracy and a giant step towards a
better future of the Turkish people."

"Erdoğan is losing the local elections in the entire country, leaving
room for the opposition to breath and to come back victorious at the
next national elections," he added. "We are looking forward to that."

_Brett Wilkins is a staff writer for Common Dreams._

* Turkey
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* elections
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* Left Politics
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* Defeating the Right
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* Erdogan
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