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659273
Wed, 05/10/2023 - 21:23
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https://www.oananews.org//node/659273
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Turkish Academic, Politician Yasin Aktay to QNA: Elections in Turkiye Are Fair.. Erdogan, Justice & Development Party Are Closest to Winning
Ankara, May 10 (QNA) - The Turkish academic, politician, and writer Dr. Yasin Aktay, stressed that there are no possibilities for fraud in the presidential elections in Turkiye scheduled for May 14, indicating that each party seeks to resolve matters in its favor in this electoral event through alliances, plans and electoral campaigns, however, the Justice and Development Party stands out as one of the most prominent candidates for victory, due to its achievements over the past years.
Dr. Aktay, who worked as an advisor to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said in exclusive statements to Qatar News Agency (QNA), that the plans and paths of the Justice and Development Party to win these elections are based on the achievements that he and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have made over the past years, considering that the electoral campaign period is the best period in which the Turkish voter is reminded of these achievements.
He noted that the party has accomplished, over the years, many projects, including, for example, industrial projects such as the defense industries, the automobile industry, in addition to the oil discoveries projects and countless other projects and achievements that were achieved during the era of President Erdogan and the Justice and Development Party, amid determination to continue on the same path to accumulate the balance of achievements for the benefit of the Turkish people.
Dr. Aktay explained that President Erdogan focuses in his speech to the citizens, during his electoral tours in the various regions, on the achievements made by the party in those regions, which is better than promises because what has been achieved on the ground is definitely better than making promises.
The Turkish politician and academic also talked about the impact of economic factors on the results of the presidential elections in his country, saying that most countries in the world suffer from economic problems, and Turkiye has suffered from the economic crisis that has swept the world in recent years, just like other countries, which is noticed in the inflation that occurred, but the government, despite this, increased the salaries of workers and retirees, which contributed to more reassuring everyone about the future.
Dr. Aktay stated that the opposition lacks any significant achievements that it could present to the people, nor does it have a clear goal other than defeating President Erdogan, and that people do not care about promises, but rather want achievements on the ground. He indicated that party blocs are normal in elections, and that each party has blocs, and everyone is competing in the elections, but the Justice and Development Party has no concern about these blocs, especially since the elections are taking place in a real democratic framework.
He affirmed that, despite the existence of these partisan blocs, no one can say for sure whether these blocs will be in the interest of one party at the expense of the other or not, highlighting the influence that small parties will play in the results of these elections.
He stressed that had it not been for the presidential system currently in place, these parties would not have been able to have any role in the elections, nor would they have been able to obtain the necessary percentage to enter parliament, explaining that the value of these small parties has become high in the current system, because the total votes may make the difference in the elections, which of course, gives opportunities to everyone to have a contributing role in power and the rule of the country.
Dr. Aktay stated that no one guarantees the votes of young people in the upcoming elections, or even the votes of any group, because all votes need persuasion, discussion, and communication, affirming that the Justice and Development Party has many projects that it presented in favor of the youth in an unprecedented way, and it focused on raising committed generations that can serve their country through interest in science and technology.
He pointed out that President Erdogan worked a lot for the benefit of youth, including providing scholarships for them in universities, and they obtained study support and many advantages, in order to motivate them to study and acquire knowledge. He explained that most of the young people in the current period were born during the rule of the Justice and Development Party and do not know anything about the previous eras and what happened in them, and this is a challenge for the Justice and Development Party to introduce these young people to Turkiye before the rule of the Justice and Development Party and how it has become now for the sake of comparison.
He noted that the current young generation's lack of knowledge of what Turkiye was like before the rule of the Justice and Development Party is a point that the opposition greatly exploits in order to influence them to win their votes. Nevertheless, we can confirm that President Erdogan has great popularity among the youth, especially since he is close to them in spirit, and this is evident in his speeches, in addition, President Erdogan is younger than opposition candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu, he added.
Dr. Yasin Aktay said that some opinion polls come out to say that opposition parties guaranteed 50 percent of the Turkish vote, yet he considered these results as incorrect as no party has the guarantee of 50 percent of votes, neither Erdogan nor the opposition, stressing that some parties falsify the results of opinion polls.
Aktay indicated that, according to opinion polls, the earthquake will have a negative impact on election results, yet he considered that everyone saw the government's rapid response to the earthquake crisis in meeting the needs of the afflicted in an unprecedented manner, especially that the government was dealing with a crisis that was tantamount to the disaster of the century in Turkiye. Dr. Aktay continued that thanks to good coordination between the government's relevant authorities, the earthquake's repercussions on people was mitigated, which in turn reflects positively on President Erdogan, the government, and the Justice and Development (AK) Party in their handling of the crisis, especially that Erdogan's promises to those affected by this earthquake hold water, as he is true to his promises and no one can fulfill such promises but him.
Dr. Aktay considered that the earthquake will have a positive impact on election results being in favor of Erdogan and the AK Party, indicating that voting in the areas affected by the earthquake will take place normally, and that those who have moved to other regions have transferred their records to their new places of residence and will vote there with no issues faced in this regard.
He also pointed out that most of the people living in the areas affected by the earthquake are supporters of President Erdogan, pointing out that he had visited the affected areas and felt the extent of people's love and affection for Erdogan.
The Turkish academic, politician, and writer stressed to QNA that the economic situation naturally impacts election results in any country, especially that the economy always plays a negative role and affects government popularity, just as there is no economic situation anywhere in the world that can satisfy an entire population. Dr. Aktay explained that he does not criticize any demand that the Turkish people voice, instead he stressed that he thinks that it is only natural and an important that a people raise their issues, adding that in all previous elections, the Turkish people have been satisfied with the situation and the AK party's government conduct, hoping that the same will be the case in the current elections, especially given that inflation is in decline and the government has taken some measures to further decrease inflation.
Regarding the opposition parties' use of the refugee card in order to put pressure on the ruling party in these elections, Aktay said in electoral blocs, all cards are used, including the use of some files in a way that other political parties view as shameful, a case in point is the refugee topic in Turkiye, especially that most leftist oppositions around the world tends to be in favor of refugees and supporting them, except here in Turkiye where the leftist opposition is actually against refugees, using a rhetoric that is against human rights and against the rights of refugees, with the refugee card used during the municipal elections and is now being used by the opposition led by the left-wing the Republican People's Party.
Dr. Aktay stressed that Turkiye is a country that respects the values and principles of humanity, never to give up on them, adding that a large part of the Turkish people appreciates the government's position on refugees. He also touched on reports alluding to opposition parties receiving external support in these elections and the extent of which this impacts electors. Dr. Aktay said in this context that Turkiye is an important world country and what happens in it impacts foreign policies and the world, with the Washington Post publishing an article on elections happening in 2023 in several countries around the world in which it said that Turkish elections is the most important of them.
Regarding rumors about AK party's permanent loss of the votes of border provinces, Dr. Aktay rejected those rumors and assured that everyone will see the party's success in these provinces, noting that the major provinces do influence results, yet calculations in the current elections may be somewhat different, considering that it be for certain that the major provinces will also vote for Erdogan, because opposition mayors in the municipalities of those provinces achieved nothing for the people, which will give an advantage to the AK Party and the president.
At the conclusion of his exclusive statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA), Dr. Aktay expected a large voter turnout during the elections, pointing to the Turkish voter's trust in electoral results unlike the case in other countries. (QNA)
