People gather outside Istanbul's Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque ahead of the May 14 presidential and parliamentary elections, in Istanbul. Reuters
People gather outside Istanbul's Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque ahead of the May 14 presidential and parliamentary elections, in Istanbul. Reuters
People gather outside Istanbul's Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque ahead of the May 14 presidential and parliamentary elections, in Istanbul. Reuters
People gather outside Istanbul's Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque ahead of the May 14 presidential and parliamentary elections, in Istanbul. Reuters

Turkey’s young voters look to a future without Erdogan


Holly Johnston
  • English
  • Arabic

Outside a busy coffee shop in Istanbul, many customers are not old enough to know life under any leader other than President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has ruled Turkey for 22 years.

The afternoon sun has people in good spirits and tables are packed, but young people here say they are afraid for a future under the only president they have known.

Fati Aktas, 22, voted in local elections but it is his first time voting in a general election.

He will cast his vote on Sunday for Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the secularist Republican People's Party (CHP), who Mr Aktas believes “will treat people equally”.

Analysts estimate that millions of first-time voters, who make up about 8 per cent of the electorate, will sway the tightly contested election.

The large Turkish diaspora is also expected to play an important role. However, unlike Turks abroad, who have traditionally supported Mr Erdogan, young people are generally expected to favour the opposition.

Mr Aktas sits among a group of friends, all university graduates and colleagues at the local Starbucks coffee shop. It is not the life they envisioned for themselves.

“I want [Erdogan] to go because I'm scared for my future,” said Sultan, 25, who is voting for the second time.

“Economically, it's getting worse day by day. I'm a university graduate but I can't find a job in my area. I'm working in Starbucks. It's not what I wanted to do.

“I really want people to rule for two terms and not much more because long-term rulers become part of dirty politics,” she said.

In a tight election race, the President has capitalised on identity politics to fend off public anger over the economy, which has buckled under record inflation. But it is not the only issue at play, with many backing the opposition's pledges to “bring back democracy”.

Bedia, 22, said she has had enough of politics but will still vote on Sunday.

“I want Erdogan to go because if my brothers need new shoes and I can't afford to replace them, I would be heartbroken … I can’t buy what I like because I can barely afford things I need.”

A gesture of support during a rally for presidential candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu on April 21, 2023. AFP
A gesture of support during a rally for presidential candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu on April 21, 2023. AFP

“It upsets me. I'm a young woman, I want to have fun, but I don't. Because of this, I want him to go. This is the first time I have the right to vote, and I'll use it to throw him in the bin.”

'A full democracy'

Across the Bosphorus, a rally for the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) is taking place amid a heavy police presence, with the rally only accessible through several police checkpoints. Armoured vehicles and riot police stand nearby.

The people gathered here are older. Women walk past in colourful Kurdish dresses and men outside sell merchandise for Amed Football Club from the southern city of Diyarbakir — or Amed in Kurdish — the largest Kurdish-majority city in Turkey.

Last month, students at Istanbul's renowned Kartal Imam Hatip school issued an open letter backing Mr Kilicdaroglu, a blow to Mr Erdogan, who attended the school and later sent his sons to the institution widely associated with the ruling Justice and Development party (AKP).

At the rally, a 20-year-old former pupil and signatory of the open letter told The National why he was voting for the opposition.

“They've been there since I was born,” he said, referring to the AKP. “This is the first opportunity for change and a full democracy.

“We wanted to take responsibility and create another view of Turkish politics,” he said.

“No one is used to supporting a different political group in a public way, it's always done in private.”

“We want people to care for the public, both economically and socially. A state in which the judiciary is really independent.”

Asked his biggest hope for the future, his answer was simple: “definitely democracy”.

Our family matters legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

How to donate

Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200

Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

United States

2.

China

3.

UAE

4.

Japan

5

Norway

6.

Canada

7.

Singapore

8.

Australia

9.

Saudi Arabia

10.

South Korea

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

Where to buy and try:

Nutritional yeast

DesertCart

Organic Foods & Café

Bulletproof coffee

Wild & The Moon

Amasake

Comptoir 102

DesertCart

Organic Foods & Café

Charcoal drinks and dishes

Various juice bars, including Comptoir 102

Bridgewater Tavern

3 Fils

Jackfruit

Supermarkets across the UAE

Company profile

Date started: 2015

Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki

Based: Dubai

Sector: Online grocery delivery

Staff: 200

Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends

COMPANY PROFILE

Company name: SimpliFi

Started: August 2021

Founder: Ali Sattar

Based: UAE

Industry: Finance, technology

Investors: 4DX, Rally Cap, Raed, Global Founders, Sukna and individuals

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Race card

1.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 50,000 (Dirt) 1,400m

2pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 84,000 (D) 1,400m

2.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh 60,000 (D) 1,200m

3pm: Conditions (TB) Dh 100,000 (D) 1.950m

3.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 76,000 (D) 1,800m

4pm: Maiden (TB) Dh 60,000 (D) 1,600m

4.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 68,000 (D) 1,000m

ELIO

Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett

Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina

Rating: 4/5

South Africa's T20 squad

Duminy (c), Behardien, Dala, De Villiers, Hendricks, Jonker, Klaasen (wkt), Miller, Morris, Paterson, Phangiso, Phehlukwayo, Shamsi, Smuts.

Updated: May 14, 2023, 8:38 AM`