Local elections in Turkey: AKP threatens to lose in the big cities News

It is a mood test for the AKP President Erdogan: In Turkey, local elections are held today. In large cities such as Ankara or Istanbul, the AKP must count were low.

By Karin Senz, ARD-Studio Istanbul

The Turkish President sings at a campaign appearance of tears, hope, and love. But he can also be quite different. Again and again he showed after the carnage of Christchurch excerpts from the Video of the perpetrator - although pixelated, but the shots thundering from the stages speakers. All of this will be broadcast live on television.

The young Kurd, Bilal has any of this gone on long enough: "I don't want to turn on the TV and the news didn't look at them. In Turkey, the policy about graffiti. 'If You don't choose me, then that means the end of Turkey.' Such campaigns there are, but this is nonsense."

Erdogan disappointed

He will not have to choose on Sunday. None of the parties convinced him that all of them have disappointed him. You can hear it in these days of many Turks. His AKP or other parties is not Erdogan. It goes to the mayor, aldermen and mayor.

In big cities like Ankara, Istanbul and Izmir, threatening the candidates of the ACP may be a bitter defeat. For the case, Erdogan hinted that the capital could be put under forced administration. In the Kurdish areas, it is known already. Here, almost all of the HDP-mayor were discontinued. New candidates will be referred to as terrorist supporters and enemies of the country who wanted to divide the country:

"in Turkey, a Kurdistan Region? No. We have the Region of Southeast Anatolia? We have. We have an Eastern Anatolia? We have. We have the black sea region? Yes. We have the Mediterranean sea region? We have. We have Central Anatolia? Yes. We have the Aegean sea? We have. We have the Marmara region? We have."

With these questions plays Erdogan and his audience responds to him enthusiastically. He loves the stage. The massive economic problems of Turkey but hardly any space. The Lira is stable, the Inflation is high. Electricity, meat, or tomatoes are, for many, is hardly affordable.

"The people are suffering,"

the head of The largest opposition party CHP, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, Erdogan:

"The people are suffering. Today is bought in pounds, but in grams, or number of pieces. The same with meat. And then a Minister comes along and says that people should eat more vegetables. Yes, but vegetable is also expensive. What should the citizens? In the kitchen it burns, but the President doesn't have it. Why? Because he lives in a Palace."

boom in conspiracy theories

The government has noticed, and sold extra stands of lower-priced vegetables. The long queues of needy not fit the image of the emerging nation, as the Erdogan represents Turkey. He's looking for a culprit for the crisis abroad. Conspiracy theories have a high battle the economy in this election.

Erdogan has made the local elections a choice about the Survival of the Nation. And he supports his conservative clientele, for example when it comes to the famous Hagia Sophia in Istanbul: "We can make the entrance to the Hagia Sophia for free. We can't do it even for free, but after the elections we can make the Hagia Sophia to what it used to be. What does this mean? We can make the Museum Hagia Sophia back to a mosque Hagia Sophia."The plans are not new, but in the election campaign. Of distraction.

Emin Capa works for the government-critical television station Halk TV. He sums up the election campaign: "you make so much foam in the water, so that no one sees and notice how cloudy the water is."

significant criticism one hears these days is rare in Turkey. The most close to the government channels broadcast uncommented an appearance by Erdogan after the other.

It's about everything: local elections in Turkey
Karin Senz, ARD Istanbul
30.03.2019 19:16 PM

Download the audio file

We offer this Audio in the following formats for Download:

mp3 Ogg Vorbis

note: , If the audio file is not saved when you Click automatically, you can select click with the right mouse button and "save target as...".

Heated election campaign before the local elections in Turkey There is everything: local elections in Turkey , Karin Senz, ARD Istanbul |audio Atlas |Turkey |Ankara