Are the upcoming municipal elections in Türkiye a referendum?

According to the international group Tasnim news agency, Turkey’s election enthusiasm and even though there are 75 days left until the voting, but the tension and political fights have already increased. cities and counties, and usually due to the high level of authority of mayors in allocating budgets, hiring and displaying the party’s ability to serve and manage, this competition is very important.

These days, Turkey’s political analysts and commentators are more focused on the constituency of Istanbul and talk about a competition that not only Istanbul, but it will affect the major changes in the political arena of Turkey. /span>

Engineer Murad Kurum, the former minister of urban development and housing, who was introduced as a candidate supported by Erdogan’s party, announced in a big speech that he would solve the traffic problem in Istanbul and this It will turn the city into a developed and prosperous metropolis.

But Yusuf Zia Jumert, a long-time Turkish analyst, says: “Whoever makes such a weak claim, basically Istanbul Does not know! He is unable to solve the traffic problem. Why? Because he himself and the big rents of the Justice and Development Party first built hundreds of towers and residential complexes in this city, and after the towers were built, they thought about what to do with roads, highways, and parking lots!? After all, Murad Kurum has a big obstacle on the way to victory, which is the economic crisis. Still, the work of Mehmet Shimsek, the Minister of Finance and Finance, has not reached anywhere, and naturally, people blame Erdogan and not Imamoglu!”

Yilderi Ugur, another Turkish analyst, is also looking for an answer to this The question is: Why didn’t Erdogan send a politician to the field and preferred to introduce a bureaucrat?

He replied: “Erdogan himself entered the world of politics at the age of 20. He was 40 years old when he was elected as the mayor of Istanbul. He was 49 years old when he was elected as Prime Minister. He knew nothing about the world of business, bureaucracy and technical issues, and he only knew how to give speeches and carry on the political struggle. But why does he introduce brokers for most posts now? Because Erdogan is not looking for political power and needs a robot. The mayor is not supposed to be someone who can speak and make political decisions. He just has to carry out Erdoğan’s order and work exactly like the head of the technical office. Basically, the Justice and Development Party has suffered from this disease for a long time and only gives posts to bureaucrats. Because they don’t know politics and they can’t have anything to say against Erdogan and finally they will act like a robot whose job is to sign and agree with the president and nothing else”.

Municipal elections or political referendum?

Mehmet Öjaktan, one of the other Turkish analysts, in a An analytical note on the election wrote: “As the March 31 election approaches, we hear a lot: this is not just a local election, it’s a referendum.” I don’t know if this is a good interpretation or not, but surely the election before us is like a referendum. In countries like Turkey, which have a weak democratic culture and sharp ideological lines, elections are generally considered a matter of life and death! Therefore, both national elections and municipal elections are held not in their normal process but in an extraordinary and special atmosphere. In countries like Turkey, which have not yet reached the maturity of democracy, security is at the highest level in all elections, and deadly fights and conflicts are going on. But in countries that have reached democratic maturity, people don’t even care who wins or loses. In fact, it is useless to compare Turkey with examples of democratic countries. Because we are just like ourselves!”.

Ojaktan says in comparison between the upcoming elections and the previous presidential elections: “Local elections in the literal sense, It is essentially a referendum. The most important indicator of this election is the two sensitive areas of Istanbul and Ankara. Of course, all municipalities are important, but especially Istanbul is of vital importance for both the opposition and the government. Erdogan’s opponents, after that heavy defeat, want to win in Istanbul and make amends. Erdogan also wants to remember and consolidate his previous victory by winning in this city. If Akram Imamoglu captures Istanbul for the second time, he will not only capture Istanbul, but also change the political calculations of 2028. If President Recep Tayyip Erdogan succeeds in recapturing Istanbul, he will consolidate his unrivaled position in the world of Turkish politics and even for the 2028 elections, it will be a serious threat to Erdogan and his party.

Ajakitan believes that the real rival of Imamoglu is not Murad Kurum.

He wrote about this issue: The real competition in Istanbul will be between Akram Imamoglu and Murad Kurum Was. But, like all political analysis, the feeling is often expressed in the society as if it will be a match between Erdogan and Imamoglu. Even during the presentation ceremony of the candidates in the Justice and Development Party, they did not care about Murad Kurum himself and did not let him speak for two minutes! Why? Because Erdogan himself is going to lead this campaign! Murad Korum was the head of the Housing Foundation for a while and the Minister of Urban Development and Housing for a while, and he knows nothing about the world of politics. But Akram Imamoglu is the mayor of Istanbul and has high political experience, brilliance and popularity. Many elders of the Justice and Development Party are afraid of this issue and say; I wish Erdogan would replace Murad with Health Minister Fakhruddin Koca or Interior Minister Ali Yerli Kaya, who have more chances to win.

Therefore, in the organization of the ruling party, no one has much hope of winning. It does not have quorum. However, Erdogan has announced his final choice and nothing can be done. Let’s not forget that for Erdogan, the long-term goals to be achieved in Istanbul are more important than taking over the municipality. Erdogan is looking to build a new Istanbul crossing to connect the Black Sea to Marmara through a new waterway worth tens of billions of dollars, and if Murad Kurum wins, as someone who has been in contact with rent contractors close to Erdogan, he can dream. make the president realize it.

At the end, the Turkish analyst pointed out that this country has two and a half months. He wishes that during this time, Akram Imamoglu and Murad Kurum explain their projects and in the elections of March 31, which will actually be a referendum, they will run an honorable and far-from-controversial competition and move the atmosphere towards security.

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