“Turkish Election Day”: Turks worry, Russians fear for their lives

A Russian woman who has been living in Turkish Alanya for more than 10 years said on her blog that she had never been so scared before. “There have always been car accidents in Alanya, a few homeless people and beggars, but all this was not loud, not obvious. And now, just this week, they shot in the center of Alanya, then in Mahmutlar. A few days ago there was a fight with gunfire in the Damlatash area, there were wounded and dead.” A resident of Alanya is sure that the closer to the elections, the worse it will be.

Presidential elections and 600 deputies of the Grand National Assembly (Parliament) will be held in Turkey on May 14. Four candidates are participating in the presidential race, but, according to politicians, only two have a real chance of winning – the current president and the leader of the opposition.

“These elections could remove Erdogan, who has been in power for more than 20 years, so now there is such unrest,” explains a Russian-speaking resident of Istanbul. “We have endless rallies here, processions with torches and shouts. People are worried in general.

The Turks are now divided into two camps – for Erdogan and for the opposition. Both sides are equally hot. People are asked to be careful, pogroms and riots are possible. The situation is very tense, and in any case, someone will not like the outcome of the elections.

– And who warns?

– The Russian-speakers were warned in the administration of our sita – it’s like a housing association. That against the background of general agitation, under the guise of political activity, criminal elements may become more active. Ordinary criminals, in general.

This is confirmed by the Russians in the resort towns. “Be careful now in Turkey, in all cities,” a resident of Alanya is quoted in Russian-language chats. – I would advise you to avoid crowded places and large crowds of people. There may be terrorist attacks, protests, provocations.

We are already reading news, for example, about Erzurum, where, after a rally at which opposition politician, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was pelted with stones, after which clashes and attacks continued on the streets of the city. And about Diyarbakir, where there was an attack on the election bus of presidential candidate Sinan Ogan.”

– Yes, it’s scary, – admits the family of our fellow citizens, who moved to Turkish Marmaris four months ago. “Of course, we are not used to it. But the Turks are very explosive people. And not only in sadness, but also in joy.

We have already seen how here the fans, overjoyed by the victory of their team, defeated several cafes. And even in a rage, and even more so – they burn shops, cars. Without brakes, in short.

Compatriots say that recently, on the resort Riviera, a shootout happened almost out of the blue: a local teenager was walking a dog on the street, and a tourist made a remark to him, he was supported by a local shopkeeper. The young dog lover ran away, but his heated relatives soon returned instead of him and began a showdown with the shopkeeper using firearms. The conflict could not be stopped even by several police crews who quickly arrived at the scene. Ambulances were able to pick up the victims only when several fighters received bullets at once in a shootout.

“The guy’s relatives are sure that they were insulted, and you can’t argue against that,” explains a Russian living on the Turkish coast. It’s better to just stay away. In normal times, this succeeds, but now the elections have stirred up all local settlements, including remote villages. No matter how you get into the mess, otherwise whoever wins, the other half will be offended and take to the streets.

According to the Russians in Turkey, against the backdrop of political unrest and unusually agitated civilians, marginalized refugees also raised their heads.

– In a calm time, they are afraid to stick out, – says a Russian-speaking resident of Marmaris, – and since, as they say, such a booze has gone, then everyone left. The most harmless are the beggars on the embankment. They just beg for money, although this is unpleasant, because usually they are not.

There are especially creative ones: they don’t just beg, but, for example, with a poster “Give me to pray for Erdogan.” Or against him. Syrian burglars, they say, have begun to work. The windows should be properly closed and the doors checked before leaving. Here bars on the windows are now put even on high floors.

According to fellow citizens, the robbers of a jewelry store in Erzurum have already covered themselves with political motives during the arrest. And those who fired at the car of a member of one of the opposing parties in Gazipasa have not yet been found. The wounded car owner was hospitalized and dropped out of the campaign.

Russian-speaking Russians are also worried about the crowds on the streets chanting slogans against foreign refugees. So far, these people are simply demanding that the government remove people who occupy Turkish housing and jobs from the country, but what will happen if they are dissatisfied with the results of the elections?

The Turkish authorities assure that they are taking all measures to protect both the citizens of the country and its guests on May 14. On this day, from 6 am to midnight, no alcohol will be sold anywhere in Turkey, and public catering will not work until 21.00. And on Monday, May 15, children’s educational institutions will not work so that not only children with their parents, but also school teachers, kindergarten teachers and nannies do not go out into the street, because these are women’s professions, and Turkish women and children are advised not to leave the house from the very the morning of election day.

Read the material “Turks are hot guys”: the outcome of the elections with the participation of Erdogan is predicted”