[This is a roundup of news articles and other materials circulating on Turkey and reflects a wide variety of opinions. It does not reflect the views of the Turkey Page Editors or of Jadaliyya. You may send your own recommendations for inclusion in each week`s roundup to turkey@jadaliyya.com by Sunday night of every week.]
English
June Elections
Why Will AK Party Win Again? (1) - (2) According to Etyen Mahçupyan, the AK Party will again win because its pros outweigh its cons, it is the only party that promises a meaningful and appealing future, and it speaks to a newly emergent strata of people; while the HDP supports the “old Turkey” due to its anti-AKP politics.
A Fateful Election Nagehan Alçı asks the HDP to accept the results of the elections positively even if the AKP wins the elections and the HDP fails to exceed the threshold, in order to further the peace process.
Public Will Determine the Election Results, not NY Times Markar Esayan thinks that the recent editorial of the New York Times, explicitly denouncing Erdoğan and the AKP, is aimed manipulating the election results and portraying Turkey in a negative light.
Erdoğan`s Challenger: The Man Who Could Save Turkish Democracy Hasnain Kazım describes the importance of Selahattin Demirtaş, the co-chair of the HDP, for Turkish democracy and the future of Turkey.
AKP in the Eye of the Voter Doğu Ergil lists four main reasons for the AKP’s decreased vote from fifty percent to approximately forty percent.
Is ‘List of Vote Thieves’ Exposed by Fuat Avni True? Emre Uslu scrutinizes the vote thievery allegations made by Fuat Avni, the notorious whistleblower, and claims that the list of names published for the rigging is most probably true.
Kurdish Movement Can Save Turkey’s Democracy Alev Yaman writes about how the HDP is a hope for reconciling the strongly polarized political atmosphere in Turkey, particularly on the eve of making of a new constitution.
What If the HDP Fails to Pass the Election Threshold? Yahya Bostan argues that a “weak” coalition government will increase the influence of bureaucratic and military actors on politics in the country.
On What Matters: Does the June 7 Election Differ from Other Elections? According to Erdal Tanas Karagöl, the 7 June election changed political parties’ election agendas, and the AKP is the force that brought about such a transformation in Turkish politics.
When Elections Are a ‘Conquest’ Mustafa Akyol claims that the AKP’s “us-the-real-Muslims vs. them” rhetoric leads to devaluation of religion as well as creating rifts in the society and leading to social antagonisms.
Turks and Kurds Doomed to Join Hands against AKP Barçın Yinanç thinks the Turks who have not voted for the HDP before will have to decide between the anti-secularist Kurds, and the Kurds who demand stronger local rule for the upcoming elections.
Poll: Turkish Public Still Oppose Kurdish Rights The results of the “Public Dynamics Before the June 2015 Elections” reveal that the conventional negative attitudes towards Kurdish rights, such as local administration, education, and public service in the mother tongue remains the same despite major political changes over the last decade.
Western Media and the 2015 Elections Taha Özhan claims that criticisms that appear in the Western media do not affect the AKP electorate as they only reiterate criticisms raised in the context of domestic politics, which are also not effective.
Could AKP`s Negative Campaign Strategy Backfire? Pınar Tremblay asks whether the AKP’s hostile, scapegoating, and demonizing election strategy could decrease its support among the public.
And Turkey Goes to the Polls According to İbrahim Kalın, aside from the heated polemics among political party leaders and slogans, what will be ultimately determinant in the upcoming elections will be the voters’ decision.
The Elections in Turkey and the HDP Kılıç Buğra Kanat discusses how the HDP’s failure to pass the threshold would affect the peace process and the party’s internal dynamics, i.e. “the rift between moderates and extremists.”
How to Read the Turkish Electorate`s Behavior İhsan Aktaş talks about the motivations behind the electoral behavior of the Turkish people.
The AK Party Will Win, But Will It be Victorious? İlnur Çevik argues that the AKP will have to face challenges in the aftermath of the elections whether the HDP passes or falls below the ten percent threshold.
How to Prevent Rigging the Elections Ersu Ablak, as a volunteer for Oy ve Ötesi (“Vote and the Beyond”), a civic initiative that monitors the election process, talks about how to counteract electronic and non-electronic methods of rigging the elections.
Erdoğan Takes on the Domestic and Foreign Media Erdoğan attributes the critical New York Times editorial to foreign constituents trying to harm Turkey like, he thinks, was the case with the well-known right-wing politicians of the past like Ozal, Menderes, and Abdulhamid, the late Ottoman Empire Sultan, says Semih Idiz.
National Intelligence Organization (MIT) Lorries with Weapons
They are Preparing for the Second Move with the MIT Lorries Abdülkadir Selvi defines the process by which the weapons were found by the Adana prosecutor as the work of the “parallel structure” and accuses Can Dündar, the journalist who wrote about the case and was threatened by Erdoğan, of being complicit with the movement.
Cumhuriyet`s `Election Truck` Got Stuck on the Road Yaşar Taşkın Koç argues that the “parallel structure” that is responsible for the MIT lorries disclosure does not realize that this news will not have an effect on domestic politics or on the distribution of votes.
Turkish President Erdoğan Wants Journalist Dündar in Jail for Life Murat Yetkin sees the charges of President Erdoğan against Can Dündar as exemplifying the the limits on press freedom in Turkey.
Erdoğan, on All-Out Attack, Adds New Names to Long List of ‘Traitors’ Özgür Korkmaz writes how Erdoğan and AKP rhetoric keeps creating new enemies, some in complete opposition to the ones created for the 2011 General Elections, for mobilizing public support.
Impunity in Turkey under the Islamists According to Abdullah Bozkurt, the AKP has enjoyed impunity in the face charges of corruption, shipping arms to terrorist groups in foreign countries, crackdown on the media, and other charges, which have corroded democracy in the country to a great degree.
Erdoğan: Journalist Will Pay `Heavy Price` Mustafa Akyol purports that in an environment where even Julian Assange is not charged with treason, the AKP and President Erdogan reaction to Can Dündar’s publishing of MIT lorries is unacceptable, and asks the the government to be more transparent about the shipment.
MIT Trucks Giving the example of the relative silence among the American public about revealed public manipulation strategies of the US government, Özlem Albayrak frames the MIT issue as an ordinary act of protecting national interest, and the government’s attending to happenings in the region.
Other Pertinent Pieces
Turkish Cleric U-turns on Million Dollar Mercedes Mehmet Cetingüleç discusses why the head of the Religious Affairs Directorate refused a Mercedes, worth one million Turkish lira ($376,000), given to him by Erdoğan himself.
Turkey Plays Down Death Toll of Kurdish Youths Fehim Taştekin says Turkey continues to ignore five hundred Kurdish youth from Turkey dying in the fight against the Islamic State in Kobane.
“The Genocide Continues”: Kamp Armen Under Threat Joris Leverink reports from the Kamp Armen protests, where a diverse group of activists protected the demolishing of the old Armenian orphanage, which had been home to many Genocide survivors.
Turkish
June Elections
Umudu ya da karanlığı, savaşı ya da barışı oylayacaksınız! According to Nurcan Baysal, what Turkey will vote on Sunday is going to be a decision between hope and darkness, war and peace, since the HDP’s crossing the ten percent electoral threshold will be the biggest obstacle to a war in the region.
Kandil`den teminat: AKP ile koalisyona da, başkanlığa da hayır! Celal Başlangıç reports that KCK (Group of Communities in Kurdistan) co-president Cemil Bayık promises that the HDP will say “no” to both forming a coalition with the AKP and to a transition to a presidential system.
Piyasalara göre, HDP`nin barajı aşması Türkiye ekonomisinin kırılganlıklarını azaltır Vedat Özdan argues that the HDP’s crossing the electoral threshold can decrease Turkey’s economic fragilities.
Artık şunu söylemek mümkün, HDP barajı aşacak ve 4 partili bir parlamentomuz olacak Bekir Ağırdır expects the AKP’s votes to decrease from forty-five percent to forty-two percent and the HDP to enter parliament.
Karanlıktan önceki son çıkış: HDP Oya Baydar names the HDP as the “last exit before darkness” since “the HDP is now the only obstacle before Tayyip Erdoğan’s obsession with a presidential system.”
Seçim, çözüm süreci ve HDP Bese Hozat suggests that the AKP has been trying to put Turkey into both civil war and regional war in the Middle East, and the HDP is the only party that can save Turkey from falling into this chaos.
Halklara ve topluluklara karşı yeni savaş dönemi Hüseyin Ali argues that the AKP cannot solve the Kurdish question given its authoritarian tendencies and its anti-democratic attempts to keep the HDP below the ten percent electoral threshold.
Kılıçdaroğlu: "Dindar seçmen AKP`den uzaklaşıyor" In an interview with Ruşen Çakır, Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu argues that the pious electorate is being alienated by the ruling AKP.
HDP mitinginde Türk bayrakları Murat Yetkin suggests that the waving of Turkish flags during a rally of the pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party (HDP) is a sign that things are changing in Turkey.
Batı olmadan Doğu olur mu? Bir şans daha… Murat Sevinç sees the HDP as a change to bridge the East and the West of Turkey, as well as to put an end to Turkey’s anti-democratic electoral threshold.
7 Haziran: Otokrasi ve kaos mu, demokrasi ve restorasyon mu? According to İhsan Dağı, the 7 June election will be a decision between the AKP’s autocracy and chaos on the one hand, and democracy and restoration on the other hand.
Diyarbakırlı ne ister?: ‘Baraj aşılsın, süreç sürsün’ ister Sharing his observations from Diyarbakir, Mete Çubukçu argues that Kurds support the peace and resolution process, and thus they support the HDP.
Barışa doğru kritik bir dönemeç İrfan Açıkgöz points to President Erdoğan’s and the ruling AKP’s violent approaches to women and workers during the AKP’s election campaigns.
Koalisyon ihtimalini dışlamak başkanlığın yolunu açar mı? Koray Yaşar warns the main opposition parties to think beforehand about alternative coalition governments after the elections in order to challenge the AKP’s goal of transforming Turkey into a presidential regime.
Oyum HDP’ye, Erdoğan’a hayır demek için, değişim için! Hasan Cemal writes that he will vote for the HDP in order to say “no” to President Erdoğan.
Türkiye’nin HDP’ye ihtiyacı var! (1)-(2) Murat Paker writes that he supports the HDP not only because it has the capacity to restrain the AKP’s and Erdoğan’s power, but also because the HDP would bring equality and hybridity to Turkey.
Sadece oy verenler değil, ülkenin yarısından çoğu HDP`yi mecliste istiyor! Nil Mutluer interviews three deputy members from the HDP about what it would mean if Turkey wakes up to a parliament without the HDP on 8 June.
Referanduma dönüşen seçim Özer Sencar suggests that the ruling AKP could not set the agenda for the June election.
Muhalefetin seçim kampanyalarında yeni soluk Faruk Acar analyzes the main political parties` election campaigns.
Feministim ve oyum HDP’ye Dilara Gürcü explains that as a feminist she supports the HDP because of the HDP’s women and LGBTI politics.
Oyum kime? Özgür Mumcu supports the HDP as its entry into the parliament automatically means that the ruling AKP would have fifty to sixty fewer members in the parliament.
National Intelligence Organization (MIT) Lorries with Weapons
Türkiye’nin problemi Erdoğan’dır, nokta! Hasan Cemal highlights the fact that President Erdoğan threatened the journalist Can Dündar, who exposed National Intelligence Organization (MIT) trucks in the southern province of Adana carrying weapons to Syria.
7 Haziran`da medyaya yönelik zorbalığın hesabını da vereceksiniz! Hakan Aksay criticizes the fact that Erdoğan accused journalist Can Dündar, who first wrote about MIT lorries, of being a “terrorist” and a “spy” and filed a criminal case against him, arguing that Dündar exposed the secrets of the state.
Örtülü ödenek ve MİT TIR’ları (1)-(2) Ciğdem Toker writes about Turkey’s official exportation of weaponry into Syria.
Cevap ver Mr. President Özgür Mumcu argues that MIT lorries were carrying Russian weapons that came from Libya to Syria in order to support Islamic forces in Syria.
Devlet memuru değil, gazeteciyiz (1)-(2) Can Dündar responds to President Erdoğan’s accusations and asks him twenty questions on topics ranging from “state secrets” to “humanitarian aid to Syria,” censorship of the visuals of MIT lorries, and the AKP’s relationship with ISIS.
MİT TIR’ları savaş suçu Ulaş Doğa Eralp argues that the MIT lorries are in fact a “war crime.”
Basın özgürlüğü ve MİT tırları Rıza Türmen draws attention to the lack of freedom of press under the AKP regime, given President Erdoğan’s attacks and threats against journalist Can Dündar.
Erdoğan için ahlakî ve uluslararası durum tespiti Baskın Oran draws a parallel between MIT lorries carrying weaponry to Syria and the US’s logistic support and provision of weaponry and training to the Contra organization in Nicaragua.
MGK MİT’e görev verebilir mi Emre Uslu reports that President Erdoğan argues that MIT lorries cannot be stopped because they were fulfilling a duty given by the National Security Council (MGK).
Attacks on the HDP
`Koalisyona razılık` ve `çamura yatma` hazırlığı İhsan Çaralan argues that the AKP has been alarmed by the fear of election defeat, and started to target and threaten the HDP.
Bir Cinayette Kürt Siyasi Tarihi: Hamdullah Öğe Efe Kerem Sözeri reports that the driver of the HDP’S election minibus, Hamdullah Öğe, was brutally murdered with thirty bullets by unidentified assailants just three days before the election.
İçim rahat, teşekkür ederim Ümit Kıvanç argues that Hamdullah Öğe’s murder was yet another brutal example of state and military-supported “unidentified murders” that have been killed thousands of Kurds since the 1990s.
Diyarbakır saldırısı Ümit Kıvanç writes in detail about the bombings in the HDP’s Diyarbakır rally two days before the election, which ended up in civilian deaths and severe injuries.
Diyarbakır’ın sağduyusu Can Dündar celebrates Diyarbakır’s good sense because people did not stampede and smash each other, but rather kept calm and carried the injured people, and they did not fall into this provocation that aimed at sabotaging the elections by creating chaos in the region.
"Sizler sevinmeyi hak ediyorsunuz artık" Pınar Öğünç writes that the HDP has been exposed to multiple forms of violence ranging from physical and verbal harassment, bombing, burning of people and election offices, and killings, although it has been carrying out a legal election campaign.
Müzik sustu, yerini çığlıklara bıraktı, kolları bacakları kopanlar vardı... (1)-(2) Nurcan Baysal relays her observations about the violent explosions at the HDP rally in Diyarbakır, and argues that Kurds say “peace” in spite of all violent attacks and provocations.
Kontrgerilla devrede, ama nafile! Murat Çakır argues that those who do not want the HDP in the parliament put underground paramilitary forces known as "counterguerrillas" in place again and started to attack HDP supporters and Kurds.
`Faili meçhul değil, faili meşhur saldırı` Journalists and politicians commenting on the Diyarbakır bombings draw attention to the fact that the state’s mentality has not changed since the 1990s, which were marked by brutal unidentified murders.
CHP’li Tanrıkulu’nun Diyarbakır izlenimleri: ‘Çok büyük bir katliam planlanmış’ Republican People’s Party (CHP) deputy member Sezgin Tanrıkulu shares his observations from the HDP’s Diyarbakır rally, and argues that the bomb explosions were in fact aiming at a very big massacre.
HDP Rally Diyarbakir Nar Photos captures the explosions at the HDP rally in Diyarbakır.
Published on Jadaliyya
First Thoughts on the Elections in Turkey: A Roundtable
Refugees in Turkey: Implications of Increasing Politicization
Press Freedom on Trial in Turkey: A Statement from BirGun
The Armenian Genocide and the Politics of Knowledge
Statement on the Anniversary of the Gezi Park Uprising