Russian-speaking citizens of Turkey spoke about the upcoming presidential elections: they are waiting for falsifications

60-year-old Turkish businessman Hussein lives in Istanbul. He will give his vote to the candidate from the opposition forces. We asked how the rating of the current head of state is related to his well-being. Recall that this week Tayyip Erdogan became ill on live television.

– Officially they say that the president has a stomach flu. But almost the entire population believes that it has much more serious problems. They are rumored to be associated with bowel disease, says Hussein. – But Erdogan’s rating did not fall due to illness. The fact that the president does not participate in televised debates also does not play any role. There are practically no supporters of the head of state left in the capital for a long time. In Istanbul, with whom you will not talk, everyone keeps saying that they want a change of power and roll their eyes at the mention of Erdogan. The earthquake, or rather its consequences, also affected the president’s low rating.

Turkish elections practically do not differ from Russian ones. Is that electronic voting is not introduced here.

– Elections are held in school buildings and administrative institutions. Polling stations will be cordoned off. On this day, concerts and entertainment events are not allowed in the country. The sale of alcohol is prohibited, continues Hussein. – Observers will be on duty at each site. Each ballot box will have 2-3 people from the party, whose members will organize shift duty. Falsifications, most likely, cannot be avoided. Especially in remote villages. I remember that last time the inhabitants of one village almost all voted for Erdogan, although everyone knew that the people there did not support the president. There was a trial. Everything was blamed on the tricks of hackers. This time, Turkey will make protection against hacker tricks. But in my opinion, this time, no fraud will have much effect on the outcome of the vote. I am sure that Erdogan’s rival will take power.

According to the interlocutor, the main supporters of the current president are Arabs and radical Muslims.

– There are entire Arab regions in Turkey. People from Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates live there. Many of them are very wealthy people. So they and the fanatical believers will give their votes for Erdogan, Hussein believes. – The entire coast – the Aegean, Mediterranean, Marble and Black – is against the current government. Istanbul also does not support the president. In my opinion, 70 percent in the capital are against the current government.

Hussein adds that Turkish youth is also for the change of power: “This is confirmed by public opinion polls. A huge number of women with many children from remote villages are also likely to vote for Erdogan’s opponent, because he promised to develop a social protection program for them and provide medical support.”

“People can’t see beyond their noses”

Elena has been living in Antalya for a long time. The woman denies that the entire coast is opposed to Erdogan.

– All my Russian girlfriends who have received citizenship and their husbands will run to the polls this year to cast their vote for Erdogan. We believe that another candidate can completely change geopolitics, and this is not good for Russian speakers, – says Elena.

The interlocutor has no doubts that Erdogan will win. She explained why: “The earthquake undermined the confidence in the president. But as time passed, people realized that with a powerful natural disaster, no president could quickly fix the situation.”

Inflation in Turkey worries a woman, but she believes that price increases are temporary.

– Unfortunately, a huge number of people blame Erdogan only for inflation. They think that their life will improve if everything becomes cheaper. They think short-sighted. Of course, everything has gone up in price. Many cannot afford to buy meat, pay for electricity, pay for gasoline. Hammam in October cost 180 lira, and yesterday – 350 lira. It’s not pleasant when you don’t have enough money for food and rent. But those who complain can’t see beyond their own noses. In such a difficult period in the world, it is dangerous to change the leader.

The fact that the new candidate is able to change something, Elena refuses to believe: “It’s better not to take risks and stay with a reliable, knowledgeable person who knows the situation in other powers well.”

Possible falsifications in the elections, the woman preferred not to comment: “I can’t talk about interference in the elections, it’s dangerous.”

“It won’t do without fraud”

Ekaterina from Istanbul says that in the capital now all the talk is only about the upcoming elections: “Turks are always interested in politics. If it is customary to start conversations with the British with a discussion of the weather, then you will not be mistaken if you start talking with the Turks about the difficult situation in the world. Preferably with a glass of tea or a cup of coffee. Learn a lot of interesting things. A typical local morning starts with reading newspapers and watching the news on social networks.”

According to Elena, elections in Turkey are taken seriously. “My hut is from the edge” is definitely not about the Turks,” the interlocutor believes.

“In this election, the turnout will be as high as possible, because people want change,” the woman continues. – Recently, the ruling party has been on the conscience of the problems with the economy, and with the inefficient organization of assistance after the earthquake, and a lot of things. Therefore, Mr. Erdogan’s ratings are falling.

As for possible fraud in the elections, Elena does not hide: “I think it will not do without fraud. In our last elections, the electricity disappeared because the cats went into the transformer box, then the Internet slowed down, then until midnight they showed one number of votes, and then the figure changed dramatically … In order to keep the situation under control as much as possible, representatives of the parties plan to be on duty at the polling stations during the counting votes until the morning. Sometimes in an embrace with sealed bags in case something happens…”.

“The people are ready for change”

Diana lives in Izmir. He says that the Turks have no doubt that the result of the elections depends on their votes.

– The majority of citizens go to vote, – says Diana. – Previously, the Turks were fined for not appearing in the elections, but since then they have become accustomed to walking. People even plan business trips and vacations in such a way as to have time to vote. Therefore, the turnout above 80 percent is not drawn numbers. Everyone discusses elections and politics here. Rallies in support of candidates are not particularly suitable, as they are afraid of a negative reaction from the authorities. But the people sincerely believe that their votes in elections can change everything. Now I see that people are set to change, but Erdogan, according to some reports, is still in the lead. In fact, he hasn’t had more than 40 percent support for a long time. The coalition let him win with 51 percent. This means that at least 49 percent voted against him in the last election.

According to the woman, the Turks vote for the chosen candidate, like for a football team.

– People vote for a person and believe in his victory to the last. As a result, in the last municipal elections, the authorities lost large areas, losing by a wide margin to the mayoral candidates from the opposition, – the interlocutor adds. “The locals are grateful to Erdogan for transforming Turkey. But we are tired of his permanent rule and of the deviation into a dictatorship.

This year, a large percentage of young people who were born and raised under Erdogan will vote in Turkey’s elections. They saw no other life. According to Diana, young people are also for a change of power: “Any youth is essentially a protest, but they are more concerned not with politics, but with personal well-being. They cannot afford a new iPhone, a car, because prices in Turkey are 2-4 times higher than in Germany. Foreigners who have been living here for a long time do not support the head of state. They believe that the president is Islamizing the country.”

– I notice that radical believers and low-income people are supporting Erdogan. Basically, this is a conservative population of the interior regions. The coast is definitely against. Find a map with the results of the last elections and see for yourself, – says the woman.

Russians who recently moved to Turkey and received a residence permit, although they do not have the right to vote, are afraid of a change of power. The relocators were especially tense by the statements of Erdogan’s opponent about a possible temporary ban on the sale of real estate to foreigners due to rising real estate prices.

“On the other hand, those Russians who have received Turkish citizenship and have the right to vote are just in favor of such bans,” says Diana. – According to the good old Russian habit, they do not want many compatriots nearby.

Voting in Turkey will take place according to the usual scenario – ballots, ballot boxes, manual counting of votes. No innovations are provided.

– Elections are held in an organized manner. The ballot is thrown into a transparent ballot box. There will be no detached voting, people vote strictly at the place of registration, – the woman informs. – But because of the earthquake, it is generally unclear who is alive, who is dead, and who is planning to vote where. This can lead to confusion. Carousels are excluded. So the election result could technically be in favor of Erdogan.

Blogger Elizaveta lives in Alanya. When asked about elections, he answers briefly: “Politics is a delicate matter. Everyone has their own opinion, both in one direction and in the other. I know for sure that people here believe that they themselves decide the future fate of the country. Turks are patriots, fighting for the prosperity of the state. Elections are discussed on TV 24 hours a day.”

But another blogger living in Turkey declined to comment, explaining her position as follows: “In Turkey, criticizing the authorities is fraught with consequences. I will refrain…”.