If the Turkish government media is to be believed, a dark cloud hangs over May’s parliamentary and presidential elections.
The opposition, terrorists and western “imperialist forces” are preparing to destroy the country.
According to government media, the terrorists have also got hold of the president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of the main challenger From Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu.
In the news found among the main news of the Sabah newspaper, it is reported that the opposition leader does not care about the victims of terrorism and is giving numerous concessions to the terrorists.
In the story has been interviewed (you move to another service) the father of the fallen policeman, who, among other things, says that the opposition is planning to divide Turkey into parts.
Linking the opposition to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, the PKK, and the Gülen movement, which is blamed for the 2016 coup attempt, is one of the main messages of the government media.
Hürriyet newspaper is one of the numerous media supporting the government.
Newspaper columnist Nedim Sener says (you switch to another service) About the plan of the European Union, the United States and the PKK to destroy the Republic of Turkey by supporting the opposition’s presidential candidate.
According to the author, the EU and the United States are once again enthusiastic about dividing Turkey. That is why the opposition party Republican People’s Party CHP led by Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has been hijacked
Terrorist accusations are repeated every day in the government media.
Another recurring theme is the superiority of Turkey’s current presidential system compared to the parliamentary system.
“The coalition government may bring violence and a time of scarcity”
Many stories warn of all the bad things that a return to the old days would bring with it.
One message is that if the opposition wins, its disunity threatens to cripple Turkey.
In one thing (you switch to another service) we are reminded of the time when gas, petrol and even margarine were in short supply in Turkey during the bickering coalition governments.
The story apparently refers to the crisis of the 1970s, when Turkey was drifting into a civil war, which is still threatening Turkey according to government media reports.
Only good news about Erdoğan
Only good news is reported about President Erdoğan. The president distributes benefits to the people, for example in the form of various support packages.
Recently, Erdoğan has also been featured in connection with Toggii, the first electric car produced in Turkey. The production of the car is starting and the first two cars were recently received by the presidential couple.
In Turkey, it has been suspected that the serial production of the car is still not up to speed, but individual pieces of the cars are being rolled out as part of the election campaign.
Alongside technology investments, numerous construction projects are part of the president’s image.
The president has inaugurated a wide range of facilities, such as bridges, airports and hospitals. At the same time, it is important to create an image of a strong Turkey, which is almost like a superpower.
The February earthquake led to a discussion about how the construction has been monitored and how poorly the administration, which considers itself strong, survived the rescue work.
Now President Erdoğan has traveled around the earthquake area and laid foundation stones for housing estates, hospitals and other public buildings.
Whereas Erdoğan presents his achievements as a strong leader and builder, opposition leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has chosen another path.
One of his election videos paints a rather idyllic picture of Turkey.
In the video, we initially move in a beautiful village and country landscape. The message is also that science is respected in Kılıçdaroğlu’s Turkey, and citizens do not have to fear the administration.
It may be that after all the concrete and construction, many Turks wish for a peaceful and serene everyday life, where the political atmosphere would also be calmer.
But even here, in the middle of the idyll, terrorists are lurking, the government media warns.
According to it, the slogan seen in Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu’s video promising a new spring for Turkey was quoted by the imam accused of the coup by Fethullah Gülen from the movement.
Gülen, who lives in exile, has occasionally talked about a new spring in his messages, but the language is common.
According to official Turkey, the so-called Gülenists have founded a terrorist organization known as FETÖ.
A crushing challenger?
Kılıçdaroğlu has made a number of promises, some of which sound unrealistic.
Recently, the opposition leader said that he will remove the visa requirement for Turks traveling to Europe. But the matter is in the hands of the EU, Kılıçdaroğlu cannot unilaterally decide anything.
Kılıçdaroğlu also gave the regime a propaganda weapon after standing on the prayer mat with his shoes on. It was obviously a pure accident, but the government media paints a picture of a politician who despises religion.
If the campaign gets even uglier, Kılıçdaroğlu’s own religious background may also come to the fore.
He belongs to the Alevi religious minority, which is often loosely associated with the Shia of Islam. Especially the more religious Sunni Muslims are estranged from the Alevis, who have also been violently persecuted in Turkey from time to time.