Change in Turkiye

The beauty of democracy was exhibited in Turkiye as the vote swing against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was acknowledged. The opposition party, CHP, surprisingly rode the tide and floored the reigning AKP of Erdogan in countrywide local bodies’ elections. This unexpected win, and subsequent recognition of the verdict by the all-powerful president who had been at the helm for decades, is a lesson in representative rule and the decency to let the people decide their fate. Ekrem Imamoğlu is the man of the moment, as he has not only bagged the coveted mayor-ship of Istanbul but also has made great strides in regions such as Black Sea and central Anatolia that were otherwise contested territories for his vote bank.

The vote has, however, put Erdogan in the spot and his leadership is now up for a test. Notwithstanding his charisma as he enthralls the international audience on issues such as aligning with Russia and Iran, and at the same time playing roulette with the US and Israel, he is wanting on the economic front. The slowdown being experienced in the Turkish economy is a case in point, and the voters have squarely spoken on it by conveying their displeasure. The economic pinch is very much there for countrymen who sit at the mouths of Asia and Europe, and has come as a challenge for the presidency. The Ukraine-Russo war and the stifling currents of BRICS, SCO and ECO, perhaps, need a new orientation.

Erdogan for years has been successful in evading and over-ruling his opponents through his agenda of Islamisation and his stance on Muslim world’s assertiveness. In doing so, he had at times locked horns with Saudi Arabia. But that glory is apparently coming home to roost, as this LB vote had made it clear that the genesis of Turks is secular, and the Ata-Turk model is embedded in their psyche. With the CHP and Imamoğlu in the front gear of politics, there is much on the cards as Turkiye navigates its way for its 85 million populace longing for economic and political consolation.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 2^nd, 2024.

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