ANKARA (A.W.)—On Aug. 10, the Republic of Turkey held direct presidential elections for the first time in its 91-year history, won by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Previously, incumbent Abdullah Gul and his ten predecessors had all been elected by Turkey’s Grand National Assembly. The change to a direct vote came after a push by Erdogan, who was also the front-runner coming into the election.
Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan won the country’s first direct presidential election on Aug. 10 (Photo by Nanore Barsoumian, The Armenian Weekly)
Erdogan and his right-leaning Justice and Development Party (AKP) were running against independent Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu and Selahattin Demirtas of the People’s Democratic Party (HDP). A former professor and Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Ihsanoglu was nominated by Turkey’s two largest opposition parties, with the idea of drawing some religious voters from Erdogan. Demirtas, the Kurdish candidate, sought to unite mostly left-leaning groups such as the LGBT community and environmentalists, in addition to Kurds. At just 41 years of age, Demirtas is sometimes referred to by his supporters as the “Kurdish Obama,” especially when compared to the 60-year old Erdogan and the 70 year-old Ihsanoglu. Demirtas is known for his recognition of the Armenian Genocide, whereas Erdogan recently referred to being called “Armenian” as an insult.
Erdogan, who as Prime Minister oversaw massive economic growth over the last 10 years, led opinion polling throughout the campaign, and raised eight times more money than the other two candidates combined. His campaign is alleged to have abused governmental power, such as the distribution of free coal to the residents of Izmir, and the comparatively little air time given to Messrs. Ihsanoglu and Demirtas on state-run television. On Election Day, Erdogan took just under 52 percent of the vote, with Ihsanoglu collecting over 38 percent, and Demirtas the remaining percentage, just under 10 percent.
Demirtas predictably led in Kurd-dominated Eastern Turkey, particularly in areas along the borders with Iraq and Iran. Ihsanoglu won the vote in most Western districts, mostly along the Mediterranean Sea. The AKP and Erdogan carried the rest of the country. It is worth noting that Demirtas’ performance, although garnering only a tenth of the vote, was significant. His party trebled its vote percentages in Ankara, while doubling it in Istanbul and Izmir, per The Economist.
The role of the President in Turkey is somewhat symbolic, although Erdogan has indicated he wants to strengthen the position, potentially extending his ten-year rule of the country as Prime Minister ten more years, as President. Erdogan’s potential changes could include giving the President the constitutional power to appoint ministers and dissolve parliament.
On Aug. 28, Erdogan will give an oath in front of parliament, in which, among other things, he promises to abide by Turkey’s Kemalist principle of secularism, as well as to protect human rights. How he will balance the secularism with his own Islamist leanings, not to mention his penchant for restricting rights such as freedom of speech, remains to be seen. Erdogan seeks to win another 5-year term in 2019, which would keep him in power until the centennial of the Turkish Republic’s founding by Kemal Ataturk, a man to whom Erdogan, despite believing in different ideals, seems to aspire. Erdogan’s first visit after winning election was a stop for prayer at the Eyup Sultan Mosque, the traditional coronation venue for Ottoman sultans. Perhaps he sees himself somewhere between Ataturk and a sultan.
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