Izmir will witness 34 political parties competing for seats in 1,393 municipalities across Turkey (social media sites)

Istanbul -

A highly competitive atmosphere prevails in the last days preceding the local Turkish elections, and this atmosphere has imposed itself on various aspects and aspects of life in the country in general and in the state of Izmir in particular.

Izmir is a coastal state in western Turkey, ranked third in the country in terms of population, and it is one of the major states that will witness 34 political parties competing for seats in 1,393 municipalities throughout Turkish territory, and 30 local municipalities in the same state in addition to the Greater Izmir Municipality.

“Izmir’s roads are very bad, so we say to our citizens, do not change your cars, but rather break the routine and change the president.” This phrase that was stated a few days ago is not just a competitive phrase and part of a heated election campaign, but rather reflects the nature of the competition expected in it.

The Good Party's candidate for mayor of Izmir, Umit Ozla (social networking sites)

Delicate shift

According to experts, the importance of the previous statement stems from the fact that it was issued by the good party’s candidate for the Greater Izmir Municipality, meaning that it was issued by the largest former ally of the Republican People’s Party, and the city is considered its historical citadel. The transformation of yesterday's ally into today's competitor is a sensitive transformation that may change the election equation in the city.

In this context, Turkish journalist Ismet Ozcelik says, “For the ruling Justice and Development Party, the country is entering the final days of the elections with a difficult economic reality that threatens to be even more difficult. As for the opposition, the state of fragmentation and the transformation of allies into competitors is the worst thing that has befallen it.”

He explained to Al Jazeera Net, "In addition to the above, the stage of selecting the candidates of the Republican People's Party in Izmir witnessed serious disagreements that everyone followed openly. The current candidate, Cemil Tugay, does not enjoy the support and acceptance of many. Rather, there is rejection of him within the party's citadel."

Ozcelik confirms that the situation on the ruling party front is better, as the candidate selection stage was carried out according to good study, and there is control over the rhythm of the party and its administrations, despite the presence of some disagreements - most of them internal - regarding the identity of some of the candidates.

As for the specialist and social researcher, Tariq Bouka, he pointed out that the reality of the city makes it push towards change after the service situation in it reached bad conditions that are not worthy of Turkey’s third city and the pearl of the Aegean Sea, according to his description.

He added to Al Jazeera Net, "Despite the city's cultural, commercial and tourist location, it has been suffering for nearly 3 decades from a lack of progress or development in services."

Chairman of the Republican People's Party, Ozgur Ozil (right), and Cemil Tugay, his party's candidate for the municipality of Izmir (communication sites)

Other accounts

Researcher Tariq Bouka described the city's situation, saying, "The city's disorganized appearance, the smells emanating along the coastal corniche, the road crisis, the weak transportation network, and the city's frequent submergence in winter. All of this we, its residents, have been living with for 40 years."

He explained that the state of Izmir has witnessed in recent years a migration movement and a demand for housing and settlement from all over the country. This represents new blood and diversity in the demographic component, but it shows the necessity of improving the city’s services to keep pace with its expansion and serve its population.

Journalist Ismet Ozcelik says, "Izmir is the stronghold and citadel of the Republican People's Party, but the crisis in choosing the candidate left a great rift within the party's members and followers there."

He added, "With the dispersion of the opposition coalition and the participation of the good (Qaumi) party in the electoral race, the latter's candidate will be the target of angry votes, or those votes will boycott the elections."

On the other hand, Ozcelik showed that the ruling party’s candidate is not acting as a classic candidate for the party, but rather showed that he is running a successful election campaign in a language appropriate to the people of the city and accommodating their characteristics.

Regarding the same point, researcher Bocka said, “Over the past years and stages, the ruling party has worked - through its activity within society and its various campaigns - to raise its vote share and presence in the city, but this time it will consolidate its gains in the sub-municipalities, and it may have a high chance of winning a seat.” Mayor of the Great City.

Bocke explained that the new generation in particular, and the society that is tired of being patient with poor services in general, want services and a reality that translates the moral talk about the values ​​of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, and “it is very expected that they will go to compare and scrutinize practical programmes, projects and promises instead of words and slogans that have not improved the condition of the city.” .

Quality and organization

In this context, the writer Ozcelik added, “With the Justice and Development Party’s primary goal of raising the level of its voting share, the chances of it winning the major municipality are strong, and if this is achieved, it will be a very large morale boost for it despite the economic crises in the country.”

Ozcelik believes that the ruling party’s electoral campaign is qualitative and well-planned in an unconventional manner and through a cohesive organizational structure, “while on the Republican People’s Party front, in addition to the deep disagreements within it in which the current mayor is a party, a state of lethargy and ill-considered confidence prevails in the party’s electoral activity and campaign.” ".

According to the results of the recent local elections, the Justice and Development Party lost the city’s municipal seat by 38% compared to 58% in favor of the Republican People’s Party candidate, a difference of 20% of the votes.

The most influential factor is that the two candidates participated in the last electoral race within an electoral agreement, and while - in these elections - the Justice and Development Party continues to maintain its alliance with the National Movement Party, the Republican People’s Party suffers from the dispersion of all components of the alliance and enters the elections with deep internal disagreements.

Among those whom the reporter met while conducting a number of interviews on the Turkish street about the local elections in the state of Izmir, citizen Yesim Aksaç told Al Jazeera Net, “My vote will be for the People’s Party candidate Cemil Tugay, but these elections will be different, and there is a risk of change at a high rate. This is what I see.” For the first time in many years."

On the other hand, most participants agreed that the chances of the ruling party candidate are high this time, and that he is running an electoral campaign “one of the best in the country.”

Source: Al Jazeera