On paper, this election does not lack issues. The power and the opposition are competing in particular for the largest cities, Istanbul and Ankara, which the opposition has led since 2019, but which President Erdogan hopes to reconquer on Sunday March 31. But the campaign in recent weeks has lacked momentum.
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From our correspondent in Istanbul,
We can say that it is Türkiye the flattest, least enthusiastic campaign of the last fifteen years, if not more. And yet, each side has much to lose or gain in the battle. But on the side of political leaders as well as on the side of voters and, sometimes even, of the candidates themselves, we feel fatigue, a lack of enthusiasm or inspiration, and the desire that this electoral deadline has passed.
Whether at the national level or at the level of large cities – since these are the most visible levels of this campaign, which concerns Istanbul and its 16 million inhabitants as much as the smallest village in Anatolia – no image, no slogan , no speech made an impression.
Campaigns that lack enthusiasm
On the side of power, the President Erdogan was certainly involved in the countryside, but less than during previous municipal elections. No promises of grandiose projects, no strategy of excessive polarization like during his presidential campaign last year. Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his candidates have essentially been content to portray their opponents as corrupt incompetents and to present themselves as the only ones capable of properly managing cities.
On the opposition side, even for the mayor of Istanbul Ekrem Imamoglu, who is at stake for his re-election and undoubtedly his political future, we are far from the spirited campaign of 2019, with his famous slogan “Everything will be fine “. This time, the mayor is defending his record and hopes to keep his seat despite a handicap: unlike in 2019, he is not supported by an alliance of opposition parties, but by his only party, the social-democratic CHP.
Tired voters and a disillusioned opposition
Voters are affected by this electoral fatigue and this is felt in everyday life. The elections, for example, are far from monopolizing conversations; there are fewer supporters at political meetings than during previous elections. President Erdogan complained about it, moreover, last weekend in Istanbul, when he said from the platform: “ We were used to 1.5 million people, now I have 650,000 people in front of me. »
How can we explain then that this municipal campaign lacks momentum or interest to this extent? No doubt due to the fact that Turkey has experienced a lot of campaigns in recent years. This is the ninth in ten years, or even the tenth if we count the last municipal elections in Istanbul, which were held twice, in March and June 2019. There is an effect of weariness. THE Turks also have other priorities, starting with their purchasing power which has been in free fall for two years.
And then for opposition voters, the shock of defeat in last year’s presidential and legislative elections is still on everyone’s minds. Many had firmly believed that the united opposition would finally beat Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the polls. Today, it is a disunited and disillusioned opposition that faces the voters.
Surprisingly, to find some enthusiasm, you have to turn to the Islamist party Yeniden Refah. Born in 2018, but heir to a long tradition of Turkish political Islam, this party is on the rise. It claims to have gained more than 230,000 members since last year – including many voters disappointed with Recep Tayyip Erdogan – and is presenting its own candidates for the first time. The latter, motivated by the desire to prove themselves, carried out a remarkable campaign and are impatiently awaiting Sunday’s election.
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