Turkish elections.. Erdogan’s victory will consolidate Turkey’s Asian orientation

Ambassador Dr. Jawad Al-Hindawi

Next Sunday, corresponding to 5/14/2023, will be the date for the parliamentary and presidential elections in Turkey. These elections are of exceptional importance, not because of the number of voters, which exceeds sixty-five million voters, five million of whom will vote for the first time, nor because of the intensification of competition between allied and non-allied parties, but rather because of the internal conditions that Turkey is going through, and the regional and international conditions between it and Turkey. Mutual and significant influence. The elections will be decisive for two conflicts: an ideological conflict at the internal level between continuing the Erdogan-Islamic approach or turning towards the secular Ataturk, represented by the opposition. Another conflict on the external level is between the West, which hopes for an end to Erdogan’s reign, and Russia, China and Iran, who hope that Erdogan will continue in power.

President Erdogan has come a long way in his rebellion against the approach of American and Western dictates, and has even become a source of annoyance for them, and the measure of trust between Erdogan and the West has fallen to zero. And he (and I mean President Erdogan) elaborated on the degree of his turn towards Russia and Iran. The Americans and Westerners believe that Erdogan’s behavior and policy towards them has encouraged countries in the region to reconsider their foreign policy and international relations in the light of the criterion of their national interests and not in the light of the criterion of “America’s consent.”

Therefore, we note today, the bias of the Western audio-visual media and newspapers, and at the highest levels, to the opposition front. All British, American and French newspapers, without exception, used their pens and opinions to encourage the Turkish voter to vote for the opposition and not for the Justice and Development Party alliance, nor for President Erdogan. Whoever looks at Western and American newspapers issued yesterday and today and follows France 24 (for example), imagines that the elections are European and not Turkish.

I believe that this US-Western campaign against President Erdogan will be in his favor, will reverse the desired results, stimulate the patriotic feelings of Turkish voters, and generate a feeling among them that President Erdogan is the national choice, and the others are the American and Western choice.

The ferocity of the Western propaganda campaign in favor of President Erdogan’s rivals in the elections indicates that the West no longer cares about what he will lose when President Erdogan wins, meaning that he (the West) lost almost everything with President Erdogan, before the elections.

President Erdogan’s victory, which will happen, will be a victory for the trilateral Asian axis (Russia, China, Iran), and President Erdogan will proceed with faster steps in strengthening his relations with the aforementioned countries and with the allies of the aforementioned countries.

President Erdogan concluded, from a long ruling experience, that his relations with the Americans are a relationship of problems, and his relations with Russia and with China are a relationship of solutions. He also concluded that the Americans put sticks in the wheels of the Turkish economy, primarily represented by the dollar and its impact on the strength of the national currency.

I never doubt President Erdogan’s victory, and I even believe that the Russians and Iranians are reassured about that. Suffice it to say, without going into details, that the victory or loss of Erdogan does not mean winning or losing the presidential chair, but rather the matter is much further than that: the matter means winning or losing the doctrine of the Erdogan era (the Muslim Brotherhood Movement, the Justice and Development Party, the Islamic Movement), and It also means winning or losing national independence and liberation from American dependence.

Erdogan and his followers and supporters cannot sacrifice these strategic goals.

Erdogan’s victory will contribute to reducing American and Western influence in the region, and this explains the use of their media against President Erdogan, and his victory will be in the interest of the security and stability of the region, especially in speeding up the resolution of the crisis in Syria.

The fierce Israeli aggression against the Palestinians, which has been going on for three days, the number of martyrs and wounded, and the absolute American support for Israel, is a circumstance that coincided with the Turkish elections, and will make the Turkish voter more disgusted with America and far from the candidate supported by America.

I believe that the next Erdogan era will be the era of zero problems in the region, the era of cooperation between Turkey and the countries of the region, especially Syria, Iraq, Iran and Saudi Arabia, and this is what America fears and fears, and Israel will suffer its repercussions. This also explains the concern of America and the West over President Erdogan’s victory.

Iraqi writer