The Turkish elections are witnessing a state of anticipation and vigorous follow-up at all domestic, regional and international levels, and this matter is due to the situation that President Erdogan created in Turkish politics, which made him the axis around which these elections revolved between supporters and supporters of his policy and an opposition that made his overthrow part of its electoral program in addition to To those who consider it a need and a necessity in the files of the convergence of international interests. We are hours away from the date of the elections, and the Kurdish voice stands out as a weighty and influential voice, according to the map of electoral alliances, where two main alliances compete in the presidential and parliamentary elections, and some other alliances that are less influential. In this equation, the Kurds represent 15% of Turkey’s population and occupy high rates in terms of popular participation in the elections.
The Peoples’ Democratic Party represents the largest Kurdish segment, and it represents the largest Kurdish segment, as it obtained in the 2018 elections a percentage of more than 11% to become the third parliamentary bloc, and statistics indicate that it will not be far from this percentage in the 2023 elections despite its prosecution before the Supreme Constitutional Court and the demand for its dissolution After he was accused of having links with and supporting the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is classified as a terrorist organization. In a reading of the composition of alliances, we find that Klichlar Oglu has succeeded in formulating his tactics with the Peoples’ Party in terms of not negatively affecting its allies, which is the party’s abandonment of its presidential candidate and directing its votes to the opposition. The flexibility shown by the People’s Party reflects the realism of the conditions it placed on the six-party alliance in exchange for its electoral support, and it previously supported the opposition in the municipal elections in 2019, which captured the two largest municipalities, Istanbul and Ankara, and this was a severe blow to the ruling party. On the other hand, the Public Alliance was able to attract the Kurdish Free Dawa Party, and the popular base of the party ranges between half and 1% of the votes, but the importance of this is not limited to this percentage only, but rather it relies on regaining the Kurdish votes that it lost in recent years.
Why is the Kurdish vote the balancing voice in these elections? The “Kurdish issue” is considered one of the most complex issues in the history of the Turkish Republic, and it falls within the long-standing problems in the literature on conflict resolution, as it is transmitted from generation to generation, and carries different dimensions, after identity, affiliation, economic, social and cultural marginalization, political structure, security and terrorism, and each dimension a bundle of problems. When the Justice and Development Party came to power in 2002, its priority was reviving the economy, the rule of law, restoring the role of institutions, and among its priorities a sustainable solution to the “Kurdish question.” The approach to resolving the Kurdish issue was met with mixed reactions in view of the previous useless experiences, but it received positive interaction among the Kurdish popular circles. The most important initiative was the “National Unity and Brotherhood Project” in 2010, where effective legal systems were implemented within their legal and democratic framework. The government at that time took important legal steps to eliminate all forms of discrimination against Kurdish citizens, through a basket of rights with implementation procedures, where the right to use the Kurdish language in schools was recognized, and a Kurdish-language television station was established within the Turkish “TRT” network, the right to exercise Their political activity and the establishment of associations and parties, even the former Prime Minister Turgut Ozal was of the “Kurdish nationalism.” Noting that the Turkish state differentiates between the Kurds as citizens with equal rights and duties, and the “PKK, which it classifies as a terrorist.”
-There is no doubt that there are several dimensions to the Kurdish voter, in terms of class, activity, and interest. For example, but not limited to, the Kurdish parties, especially the parties loyal to the “PKK”, adopt political approaches and aspire to build an independent Kurdish state and control a part of Turkey, which is within the so-called “area”. Kurdistan Region” and build its electoral alliances on this basis. As for the non-partisan Kurds, they are elected on the basis of their supreme interest and the services they receive, and this is the category that Erdogan relies on. As for the other groups, we find that it is the youth group that demands change for the sake of freedom, justice and democracy, and aspires to the arrival of someone who represents them and understands their concerns. While the category of women is divided into two groups, one group considers that they have obtained their rights and that injustice has been lifted from them, especially after the polygamy system was abolished through the application of civil laws, while the second category of women is from the majority of the population of major cities and is the most educated and follows the economic and political conditions. She considers that cases of violence are on the rise, as the number of women who have been killed as a result of domestic violence has reached 450, and this puts them in the category of seekers of change. For the elderly, people with disabilities, and other vulnerable groups, the government has worked on health and living guarantees for them through sustainable measures and programmes. It must be noted that Turkey today is one of the most countries that adopt programs and services for the people for its citizens.
Therefore, the Peoples’ Democratic Party has its weight in the electoral process, and it may be a “steamer” in favor of the opposition in the parliamentary elections, but in the presidential elections, the result may be the opposite and it is likely that it will lean in favor of Erdogan and not the other way around, and the element of surprise remains at the last moment, especially among the hesitant voters who are They cling to the gains and fear the unknown. In the end, the last word remains for the people who will decide and choose their representatives during the coming hours, and thus determine the future and role of Turkey.
