ISTANBUL // When Turkey's opposition leader attended the first rock concert of his life the other week, it was more than just a fun night out. It was a political message. In a country where half of the population is younger than 29, younger and first-time voters are enjoying special attention from political parties before parliamentary elections June 12.
Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the main challenger to Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey's prime minister, went to a concert of Turkish musicians playing rock classics that included songs by Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin in Ankara last month. "Tonight we have found a common denominator with the youngsters," Mr Kilicdaroglu said afterwards.
Mr Kilicdaroglu's party, the secularist Republican People's Party, or CHP, is fighting a reputation of being a club of old men in grey suits. Before a recent shake-up by Mr Kilicdaroglu, who became party leader last year, the CHP leadership was sometimes referred to as the "Politburo" in the press. According to a poll published earlier this year, the bulk of CHP voters are older than 45 years, in a country where people from the age of 18 have the right to vote.
As almost half of Turkey's 52.7 million voters are younger than 34, all parties are wooing young people with plans for reforms in the education system and other projects that are likely to appeal to them.
Mr Kilicdaroglu's party promises to cut the mandatory military service for every Turk male from 15 to 6 months. Devlet Bahceli's right-wing Nationalist Movement Party, or MHP, says it will abolish university entrance exams. The government says it will make sure more people can get a university degree and will put a focus on better foreign-language skills. In their effort to go with the times, leading Turkish politicians, Mr Erdogan, Mr Kilicdaroglu and Mr Bahceli, have launched Twitter accounts.
Bekir Agirdir, a pollster, told yesterday's Taraf newspaper that Mr Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, which is seeking a third term in government, can expect another big win with 46 to 50 per cent of the vote, with the CHP trailing at between 25 and 27 per cent and the MHP following at 9.5 to 10.5 per cent. In the last elections in 2007, the AKP won 47 per cent, the CHP 21 per cent and the MHP 14 per cent.
No other party is expected to cross the threshold of 10 per cent of the nationwide vote needed to win seats in parliament. Turkey's main Kurdish party, the Party for Peace and Democracy, or BDP, is fielding nominally independent candidates, who are exempt from the 10 per cent rule, to get around the barrier and can hope to get around 25 to 28 deputies into the chamber of 550 deputies, according to Mr Agirdir, the pollster.
Even though no one expects the AKP to lose the elections, some experts say that the opposition has a good chance of eating into Mr Erdogan's share of voters by concentrating on the young. A youth unemployment rate of around 22 per cent among Turks aged between 15 and 24 was one of the factors that could benefit CHP and MHP, pollster Adil Gur, the head of the polling firm A&G, told the daily newspaper Sabah last month. A series of alleged cases of corruption involving university entrance exams could also hurt the ruling party, Mr Gur said.
Other observers point to a more general dissatisfaction with a government that has been in power since November 2002. Tens of thousands of people gathered on Taksim Square in central Istanbul on May Day, many shouting protest slogans against the Erdogan government. "The first thing I noticed on Taksim Square was how young everybody was," Asli Aydintasbas, a columnist, wrote in the Milliyet newspaper.
But observers are divided on how the youth factor will play on election day. Even if some young voters do turn away from the AKP, the shift would not amount to more than two or three percentage points, Tarhan Erdem, Turkey's most respected pollster since he predicted the scale of the AKP's last election win in 2007, said earlier this month. Even reports of alleged foul play during university exams were unlikely to concern Mr Erdogan deeply, because most AKP voters had not attended university, Mr Erdem said.
"The biggest trump card for the AKP is the economy," Mr Erdem said. Turkey's GDP grew just under nine per cent last year alone and has doubled since the AKP came to power in 2002.
Not surprisingly, Mr Erdogan has been using the country's economic boom, increased consumer spending and a rising living standard for many people as arguments to convince voters to give the AKP another term in government. At a recent campaign event, the prime minister said Turks would buy up to one million cars this year and had bought 436,000 refrigerators in the first three months of this year, almost 100,000 more than in the same period in 2010.
Mr Erdem said economic factors such as these were likely to be dominant on June 12. "If the economy was not such a success, other factors would matter more," he said.
He declined to give his own estimate of a possible election outcome, citing confidentiality agreements with clients of his Konda polling company.
tseibert@thenational.ae
FINAL RESULT
Sharjah Wanderers 20 Dubai Tigers 25 (After extra-time)
Wanderers
Tries: Gormley, Penalty
cons: Flaherty
Pens: Flaherty 2
Tigers
Tries: O’Donnell, Gibbons, Kelly
Cons: Caldwell 2
Pens: Caldwell, Cross
Teams
Punjabi Legends Owners: Inzamam-ul-Haq and Intizar-ul-Haq; Key player: Misbah-ul-Haq
Pakhtoons Owners: Habib Khan and Tajuddin Khan; Key player: Shahid Afridi
Maratha Arabians Owners: Sohail Khan, Ali Tumbi, Parvez Khan; Key player: Virender Sehwag
Bangla Tigers Owners: Shirajuddin Alam, Yasin Choudhary, Neelesh Bhatnager, Anis and Rizwan Sajan; Key player: TBC
Colombo Lions Owners: Sri Lanka Cricket; Key player: TBC
Kerala Kings Owners: Hussain Adam Ali and Shafi Ul Mulk; Key player: Eoin Morgan
Venue Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Format 10 overs per side, matches last for 90 minutes
Timeline October 25: Around 120 players to be entered into a draft, to be held in Dubai; December 21: Matches start; December 24: Finals
PSA DUBAI WORLD SERIES FINALS LINE-UP
Men’s:
Mohamed El Shorbagy (EGY)
Ali Farag (EGY)
Simon Rosner (GER)
Tarek Momen (EGY)
Miguel Angel Rodriguez (COL)
Gregory Gaultier (FRA)
Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY)
Nick Matthew (ENG)
Women's:
Nour El Sherbini (EGY)
Raneem El Welily (EGY)
Nour El Tayeb (EGY)
Laura Massaro (ENG)
Joelle King (NZE)
Camille Serme (FRA)
Nouran Gohar (EGY)
Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG)
Match info
Liverpool 4
Salah (19'), Mane (45 2', 53'), Sturridge (87')
West Ham United 0
MATCH INFO
Final: England v South Africa, Saturday, 1pm
The Bio
Amal likes watching Japanese animation movies and Manga - her favourite is The Ancient Magus Bride
She is the eldest of 11 children, and has four brothers and six sisters.
Her dream is to meet with all of her friends online from around the world who supported her work throughout the years
Her favourite meal is pizza and stuffed vine leaves
She ams to improve her English and learn Japanese, which many animated programmes originate in
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The low down on MPS
What is myofascial pain syndrome?
Myofascial pain syndrome refers to pain and inflammation in the body’s soft tissue. MPS is a chronic condition that affects the fascia (connective tissue that covers the muscles, which develops knots, also known as trigger points).
What are trigger points?
Trigger points are irritable knots in the soft tissue that covers muscle tissue. Through injury or overuse, muscle fibres contract as a reactive and protective measure, creating tension in the form of hard and, palpable nodules. Overuse and sustained posture are the main culprits in developing trigger points.
What is myofascial or trigger-point release?
Releasing these nodules requires a hands-on technique that involves applying gentle sustained pressure to release muscular shortness and tightness. This eliminates restrictions in connective tissue in orderto restore motion and alleviate pain. Therapy balls have proven effective at causing enough commotion in the tissue, prompting the release of these hard knots.
Roll%20of%20Honour%2C%20men%E2%80%99s%20domestic%20rugby%20season
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Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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
LIVING IN...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
2019 Asian Cup final
Japan v Qatar
Friday, 6pm
Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi
The biog
Born: Kuwait in 1986
Family: She is the youngest of seven siblings
Time in the UAE: 10 years
Hobbies: audiobooks and fitness: she works out every day, enjoying kickboxing and basketball
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20IPHONE%2014
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
WHY%20AAYAN%20IS%20'PERFECT%20EXAMPLE'
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Asia Cup Qualifier
Venue: Kuala Lumpur
Result: Winners play at Asia Cup in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in September
Fixtures:
Wed Aug 29: Malaysia v Hong Kong, Nepal v Oman, UAE v Singapore
Thu Aug 30: UAE v Nepal, Hong Kong v Singapore, Malaysia v Oman
Sat Sep 1: UAE v Hong Kong, Oman v Singapore, Malaysia v Nepal
Sun Sep 2: Hong Kong v Oman, Malaysia v UAE, Nepal v Singapore
Tue Sep 4: Malaysia v Singapore, UAE v Oman, Nepal v Hong Kong
Thu Sep 6: Final
Asia Cup
Venue: Dubai and Abu Dhabi
Schedule: Sep 15-28
Teams: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, plus the winner of the Qualifier
