I have been asked by foreign journalists several times over the last few days on whether I think the Turkish election that took place at the start of November was rigged. It’s an emotionally loaded question, and should be treated rationally. So I can give you some numbers:

While the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) maintained its votes compared to the June 7 elections, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and the (Kurdish) Peoples’ Democracy Party (HDP) lost 2 million and 1 million votes, respectively. Two small parties that had entered the elections together in June got 300K less this time. There were also 1.3 million additional votes compared to June. Of this, 600K were due to new votes (of which 200K were new registered voters). There were also 700K less invalid votes. Interestingly, more than half of the additional votes were from Istanbul, where the share of invalid votes shrank significantly.

If you do the math, all of this adds up to the 4.5 million extra votes the Justice and Development Party (AKP) got compared to June 7. In other words, it could be that the AKP got all the possible votes it could; most of the defections from other parties as well as the additional votes. Add in other possible factors, such as the speed of the vote count and early victory declarations in the pro-government media, and you can see why people are suspicious.

However, the independent election monitoring initiative Vote and Beyond (Oveo) has stated that minor discrepancies between its own reports and the official results had no bearing on the final outcome. They were present in 50,000-60,000 of the 175,000 ballot boxes. But what about the two thirds of total votes they didn’t monitor? After all, I would assume that their presence is not random, no matter how hard they tried.

The economist Erik Meyersson has analysed the election. He has found that, while the MHP’s votes seem to have been adversely affected, “the AKP and HDP vote counts also show evidence consistent with some form of tampering,” especially outside the largest five provinces. “The CHP vote count, on the other hand,” he writes, “shows predominantly little change across the different tests.”

____________________

Read Erik Meyerson’s analysis:

Digit Tests and the Peculiar Election Dynamics of Turkey’s November Elections

____________________

Meyersson underlines that “this analysis shows evidence that would be consistent with widespread voting manipulation, not proof of it.” I personally don’t see any major problems with his methodology, although a couple of statisticians I spoke to were very critical. But if nothing else, his analysis should lead us to more work. I would especially want him to conduct his tests separately for the Oveo and non-Oveo ballot boxes.

I’ll let Meyersson conclude: “Sunday’s landslide victory by the AKP represents a remarkable comeback for a government that, according to the overwhelming majority of polling companies, looked set to repeat its June loss. Many are now pointing fingers at these pollsters (and analysts overall), asking how they could have been so wrong. But what if they weren’t?”

Emre Deliveli is a Turkish economist and columnist for Hürriyet Daily News

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/was-the-turkish-election-rigged-a6724226.html

]]> https://chpbrussels.org/2015/11/06/was-the-turkish-election-rigged/feed/ 0 Independent chpbrussels https://chpbrussels.org/2015/11/02/turkishparliamentaryelections_nov/ https://chpbrussels.org/2015/11/02/turkishparliamentaryelections_nov/#respond Mon, 02 Nov 2015 14:43:42 +0000 http://chpbrussels.org/?p=1241 Continue reading →]]>

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CHP President Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu’s press meeting on the elections: 

Turkey’s Republican People’s Party (CHP), which had entertained hopes of making gains through a constructive election campaign, failed to increase its votes significantly in the Nov. 1 polls, remaining the country’s main opposition party.

The leader of the social democrat party, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, said late on Nov. 1 after the annoucement of the initial results that the responsibility on the party’s shoulders had incerased.

The country faced a second election under extraordinary conditions between the June 7 election and the reelection on Nov. 1.

“Some 400 people died in this period,” he said. “This should be evaluated very carefully.”

Responding to question on whether he would resign, Kılıçdaroğlu said the executive bodies of the party would decide on the matter, praising the CHP for “bringing democracy to the country.”

A senior official from the party told Reuters while the votes were being counted that there was no likelihood of a coalition government.

The party, which succeeded in becoming the first party in just six provinces out of 81 across the country, won 135 of 550 seats, according to initial results.

The CHP won 131 seats with a little less than 25 percent of the votes in the June 7 elections that resulted in a re-election after no parties were able to form a one-party or coalition government.   The party increased its votes in Istanbul, the largest city in the country, by two points to 30 percent but still won only 28 MPs, the same number as the election five months ago. The party ran its campaign on economic promises. (Hurriyet Daily News)

The number of female deputies representing the four political parties in the Turkish parliament has dropped from a record number of 95 to 81, the unofficial results of the Nov. 1 snap elections have revealed.

Accordingly, some 21 seats occupied by female deputies from the Republican People’s Party (CHP) will still be held by women when the 26th term of parliament opens following the announcement of the official results by the Supreme Election Board (YSK).

Yet, the other three parties will have less female deputies when compared to the 25th term of parliament, which opened after the June 7 parliamentary elections and served for only five months.

The Justice and Development Party (AKP), which managed to win a landslide victory sufficient to form a single-party government, will have 34 women lawmakers, while this number was 40 after June 7. The number of women deputies from the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) dropped from 30 to 23, while the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) has again come up with the least number of women deputies, with a decrease from four to three. (Hurriyet Daily News)

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Turkey election: OSCE says ‘serious concerns’ over vote

European observers have said violence marred the run-up to polls in Turkey in which the Justice and Development Party (AKP) regained its majority.
The OSCE said that an increase in violence, particularly in the south-east, “restricted some contestants’ ability to campaign freely”.
It also criticised curbs on media freedom.

Turkish election campaign was unfair

Earlier Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on the world to respect the result of Sunday’s election.
Meanwhile, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) went further and denounced the entire process as “unfair”.
In a statement on Monday, Ignacio Sanchez Amor, head of the OSCE observer mission, said: “Physical attacks on party members, as well as the significant security concerns, particularly in the south-east” had affected campaigning.
He added that pressure on journalists – including a police raid on the Koza-Ipek media group in Istanbul last week – was a major concern.
“Unfortunately, the campaign for these elections was characterized by unfairness and, to a serious degree, fear,” said Andreas Gross, Head of the PACE delegation.

Responding to reports of pressure on journalists, the White House spokesman John Earnest said the US had urged Turkey “to uphold universal democratic values.”

By BBC Monitoring

Download the OSCE Statement of Preliminary Findings and Conclusions

Photo: Cihan

Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the leader of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), has issued a call for all Turkish citizens to act with common sense in the face of growing public outrage against escalating acts of terror, which have in some places turned into violent attacks on political parties and media organizations.

“Today is the day to display our years-old brotherhood once again to the world. I invite my citizens to act with common sense,” Kılıçdaroğlu said Sept. 9, through his Twitter account.

Kılıçdaroğlu’s message came after anti-terror marches held across Turkey turned into violent attacks on the bureaus of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), Kurdish citizens living in the Western parts of the country and media organizations.

Turkey is passing through a tough test to maintain societal peace, Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has said, amid ongoing tension following deadly terrorist attacks that sparked violent public demonstrations across Turkey targeting citizens of Kurdish origin.

Turkey passing through a tough test for societal peace

“We have given 107 martyrs. We attended another funeral today. Turkey is passing through a difficult test to maintain its societal peace. This test is for all of us. We must pass this test for our republic, for our children, and for contemporary Turkey,” Kılıçdaroğlu said at a press conference in Ankara on Sept. 9.

He said the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) had been trying to divide the people of Turkey and to create enmity within society for the last 30 years, but vowed that “Whatever you do, we won’t be divided.”

The people must be careful not to fall into the “traps of provocateurs” in their anti-terror protests, Kılıçdaroğlu also said. “Turning our demonstrations into violent acts would only serve the terrorist organization. Let’s denounce terrorism, let’s march against it with our flags in our hands, but let’s do all of this in line with our values,” he added.

“Our 77 million people should be very sensitive about this. I particularly call on my young friends: You are the future of this country. No one has even the smallest doubt about your love for your homeland. Please do not be provoked,” Kılıçdaroğlu said, stressing that stoning buses carrying Kurdish citizens or bureaus of political parties would lead to division in society, in line with the PKK’s objectives.

‘President should have called for calm’

“I’d like to see the president make such calls [for calm]. I’d like to see him defending brotherhood, promoting the unity of the country, and calling on youngsters to stay away from provocations,” the CHP leader said.

“Our views may be different but we are breathing the same air. We should be able to be together in both our bad and good days,” he added.

Clearly referring to the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), Kılıçdaroğlu also called on all political parties to put a distance between themselves and terrorist organizations. “Terror is a crime against humanity. Full stop. We will stand against terror. Full stop,” he said.

‘Media freedom a must’

Referring to recent attacks on the media after daily Hürriyet’s headquarters were violently attacked for the second time in two days, Kılıçdaroğlu emphasized the need to protect freedom of expression for a healthy democracy.

“The media and the press are our eyes and ears. We may or may not buy a particular newspaper. We may or may not read it. But we will not accept any pressure on the media. The media must freely work,” he said.

“Accusing and attacking the media is never right. We cannot accept this,” Kılıçdaroğlu added.

September/09/2015

Hürriyet Daily News

Please also read:

CHP leader blames Erdoğan’s ‘400 deputies’ aspirations for violence

PM Davutoğlu meets CHP leader upon PKK attack

Funeral ceremonies held for 15 police officers recently killed by PKK

CHP, MHP urge gov’t to disclose number of casualties in PKK attack

• On Sunday 7 June, Turkish citizens will choose the 550 members who will represent them in the Turkish Parliament. The elections are taking place in a climate of increased restrictions of freedom, imposed by President Erdogan of the leading AKP Party. Recent crackdowns on media channels, journalists and social media networks have made it difficult for political parties to campaign. The electoral threshold of 10 per cent also represents a huge obstacle for smaller parties wanting to take part in the democratic debate.
• “The elections on Sunday are a big test for Turkey. CHP has concrete proposals, including raising the minimum wage, which will improve the lives of millions of Turkish citizens. They also support the lowering of the election threshold to 5%, an important step forward for democracy…This is time for a renewal…We will follow the elections with great attention, observing that they are free and fair. We hope for a positive, democratic and progressive outcome.” said PES President Sergei Stanishev.
• Even though Turkey has seen enormous economic progress in the last decade, the last few years have known a decline in fundamental freedoms. The Gezi protests of 2013, which started out as a reaction against the construction of a shopping centre in a public park, ended up representing an outcry of the people against the curtailing of their rights.

Read more

Purçu is pictured during an election campaign on May 4, promoting himself as a CHP’s İzmir candidate in the run-up to parliamentary election slated for June 7. (Photo: Sunday’s Zaman)

For the first time ever, the estimated 6 million Roma citizens of Turkey are very near to achieving representation in Parliament.

If Republican People’s Party (CHP) İzmir candidate Özcan Purçu is elected, he will be Europe’s third Roma parliament representative.

Purçu was born in a nylon tent; he grew up as the son of a mother who peddled clothes and a father who sold baskets. When their tent was ripped up, they turned to the district governor’s office for help, and so it was that Purçu grew up steeped in an atmosphere of respect for the district governor’s office, believing it to be the zenith of the state. As a young boy, he was generally the highest ranked in tests and academic contests, but when it became clear he was ethnically Roma, he would invariably be eliminated from the finals. But now, while he couldn’t become a district governor, Purçu is preparing to stand as a candidate for Parliament from the CHP. And if elected, he’ll enter Parliament as Turkey’s first ever Roma deputy.

There are an estimated 5-6 million Roma living in Turkey, and in İzmir, an estimated 400,000. The well-known İzmir neighborhood of Tepecik is where many Roma live; the area has pinned its hopes on Purçu at this point. And they do seem to have the right man, for Purçu has met the discrimination he has faced throughout his life with pure determination. He notes that he has dreamed about today since his early primary school years, resolved that Roma children throughout Turkey ought not have only scrap metal collectors as their role models for future careers. In short, he’s prepared to represent the Roma in Ankara.

Purçu came into the world in the town of Söke, to which his family had relocated from Çanakkale. He was one of three siblings, and his father tried to support the family through the sales of woven straw baskets. They had neither running water nor electricity in the tent they called home, and they used the outside world as their toilet and bathroom. Purçu recalls: “My mother and father were uneducated, and not literate. There was absolutely no money, nothing. The river we were near would sometimes flood, getting everything in our tent wet. And then we would sleep outside. We’d get sick all the time; you had to either get better, or die.”

But the more difficult Purçu’s life became, the greater his resolve to become educated, and start to change things. But it was not easy of course; after all, according to the world around him, he was just a Roma, or a “çingene.” And his father didn’t want him to pursue school; he’d tell Purçu, “Start making baskets, earn some money; what are you going to do in school?!” In other words, the first objective was just to earn a living and fill some stomachs.

When Purçu’s father realized his son wasn’t going to give up on the idea of school, he decided the best course of action was to marry off his son. And so Purçu’s family asked for the hand in marriage of the young girl living in a nearby tent. When Purçu went to the girl’s father explaining that he didn’t want to get married, his own father intervened, beating him and burning his books and shoes. He was forced to attend school in his mother’s slippers after this.

In the meantime, school was not easy; discrimination began at a very early age against Roma children. In fact, Roma children were put into a separate classroom. But Purçu was hardworking, and in the end he was placed into another classroom, though the discrimination continued directly from the teacher, who placed him at the back of the classroom. In the end, though, his resolve won through, and he worked hard, finishing school as its number one student. Already, Purçu’s hardworking nature was opening doors for him and breaking down preconceived notions.

And so it was that Purçu was bent on studying and becoming educated, though of course he had obligations to help his family out as well. So he worked with his father, learning how to weave and sell baskets, though he never gave up on school. Because the family couldn’t afford to buy books, Purçu read everything he encountered, on the road, on walls, everywhere. His enduring dream at this time was to become a district governor: “This was the dream I carried in my mind, to study and become a district governor. The reason for this was that Roma citizens often turned to the district governor’s office for assistance, when tents got ripped, when money ran out, when rivers overflowed and drenched all our belongings. It felt to us like the district governor was the greatest man in our city.”

In university exams, Purçu got enough points to attend cities like İstanbul or Ankara, but his mother convinced him to go to university in Bursa, telling him, “When I come get clothes to peddle from there, I can visit you.” And so Purçu received his undergraduate degree from the department of public administration of Uludağ University.

Family background hinders career

It was during his university years that Purçu’s leftist leanings become clear. The many socialist magazines and books he encountered at the time only increased these leanings. He recalls this incident from those years: “We had a class called political sociology. One professor told us: ‘Very intelligent people study at university, those of more middling intelligence finish off high school, and the less intelligent, primary school. And then there are the truly backward, like Roma children; they don’t study at all’.”

As he tells it, Purçu was unable to raise his hand and tell the professor that, in fact, he was Roma. But the incident increased his resolve to push forward with his education. He was just as successful at university as he had been in high school, and Purçu took all the exams for the district governor’s office, for local regional leadership positions, for consultancy positions and so on. And while he was successful in all these exams, when it would come time for interviews, that was when the nightmare would start for him. He recalls: “I took the exam for the Military Supreme Administrative Court [AYİM], which was going to be hiring personnel. I passed with flying colors. I headed into the interview, and passed this also with the highest of points. But then they told me there would be an investigation to check into my background. This is when they research a person’s family and background. And so the final report came out, basically telling me that I was not suitable for the position because I am Roma.”

After realizing that his Roma status was going to continue to hinder his progress, Purçu decided to start forming organizations aimed at helping Roma citizens. He says: “In Söke, I formed the Aegean Roma Assistance Foundation. At around the same time, the Council of Europe [CoE] formed a special group on the Roma, but there were no Roma representatives from Turkey. A delegation came from the council to interview me. One condition for the position was that the representative was to know both the Roma language and English; they took me directly, as there was no one else around that fit that description! And so it was that I became the representative for Roma people in Turkey to the European Council. Our first meeting was in Strasbourg. At the meeting, I heard all these other representatives speaking the Roma language, and I began to cry! I discovered that we were all speaking the same language, whether we had come from Turkey, France, Italy or someplace else.”

It was in 2001 that Purçu took his initial steps into politics, as a CHP member. He met with CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu in 2009, after the start-up of the Roma initiative. And in the 2011 elections, Purçu was the 11th name on the list of candidates from İzmir. Following up on his words “I’m going to put an end to this shamefulness,” Kılıçdaroğlu this time around put Purçu up as the fifth CHP candidate from İzmir.

Purçu is clear on his number one priority for Roma children: education. He says: “Our children leave school early. Marriage is a real factor after the age of 13. Around 60 percent of young Roma between the ages of 13-17 are already married. So we need to get our children accustomed to education. We want to open up study centers in our neighborhoods. The first one ever was opened in Mersin some four years ago, but we need to increase the numbers. The state is just not present in our neighborhoods. So we have no democracy, no equality, no freedom. It’s only when it comes time for Roma young men to head off to the military that the state suddenly remembers us. Roma citizens get around 0.4 percent of the state budget. Not even that much, maybe.”

Another one of Purçu’s resolutions is to deal with crime rates in Roma neighborhoods throughout Turkey. He notes that around 30 years ago, narcotics were simply not a factor in Roma neighborhoods, but that they began to creep in when professions Roma had traditionally pursued began to lose their importance. Purçu notes that the psychology driving people to use narcotics in Roma neighborhoods is linked to the sense that there is nothing left for them to do professionally, and that they are dependent on the state or others for assistance. In this vein, Purçu insists that setting up not only study centers but also career training centers is crucial for the future of the Roma, especially the youth.

Talking about the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) stance toward Turkey’s Roma citizens, Purçu says: “We were very happy to see initiative started, but the more time went by, we began to see it as nothing more than election campaign material. You cannot really help people without actually listening to them. The AKP [AK Party] never even entered the field. We asked for help with housing and schools. But we were tricked by the so-called initiative.” Purçu notes pointedly that the same kind of help that has been given to Syrian refugees has definitely never been given to the Roma in Turkey.

In addressing the very real possibility that he might enter Parliament as a CHP deputy from İzmir, Purçu says, “The CHP leader saw my strength.” He asserts that the CHP leader was also impressed by his representation of the Roma in the European Council, but also perceived that he was a potential deputy for all factions and familiar with the problems of Turkey in general.

NURSEL DİLEK / ISTANBUL

Today’s Zaman

Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) has sought an image change ahead of the June 7 general election. The move comes after suffering successive defeats at the hands of the Islamist-rooted AK Party, which has portrayed it as hostile to religion.

Izmir parliamentary candidate Selin Sayek Boke is one of the new faces of the pro-secular CHP, which, unlike in previous campaigns, is putting its focus on the economy.

“The reason we decided to structure around economic issues to appeal to the larger audiences, regardless of your ethnicity, regardless of your religious belief we all share a common issue, which is all economics,” said Sayek Boke.

Sayek Boke is taking her message to small businesses, traditional voters of the ruling AK Party. The CHP is pledging cuts in taxation on diesel and other policies aimed at revitalizing a sluggish economy.

The message appears to be resonating with some traders, many of whom complain about slow business.

Slick campaign messages produced by a leading advertising company are also part of the CHP’s strategy of dispelling its staid pro-secular image.

The CHP’s legacy of being the party of the founder of the secular state, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, and until recently advocating restrictions on religious practices like wearing religious headscarves, remain an electoral liability, according to Betul Durmaz, a sociology teacher at Izmir’s Gediz University.

“CHP is seen as banning some religious practices in Turkey. Sometimes questioning the headscarf in Turkey. For that reason, still some people are not trusting CHP,” said Durmaz.

Many CHP publications aim to counter claims by the ruling Islamist-rooted AK Party that it is anti-Muslim, but Izmir, with a large staunchly secular population, is a traditional stronghold for the CHP. Its past hardline secularist polices were popular among many voters here.

Sayek Boke insists its new pluralistic message does not mean it is rejecting its secular roots.

“There is a huge effort to show that by heart, we are a social democratic party. A social democratic party stands equal distance to all beliefs, all ethnicities. And indeed, Turkey has been divided into multiple parts through ethnicity and religion. We would like to actually reconcile this,” she said.

In Izmir, Sayek Boke and her fellow candidates are seeking to broaden support from the devoutly religious in Turkey’s population, but at the same time not alienate its base. The success of the CHP in achieving that goal will be key to determining whether it can achieve the electoral breakout it is seeking.

Dorian Jones

Voice of America, May 22, 2015

IZMIR

CHP head Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu said in an Istanbul press conference on May 21 that the “Center Turkey” project aimed to gradually construct a “MegaCity” in Central Anatolia between 2020 and 2035 with a population of 3.5 million to serve as an international production and logistics center, to create 2.2 million new jobs and as a cure for inequality between the regions.

“That would help Turkey to break the mid-income and mid-technology trap which it is in,” Kılıçdaroğlu said. “That would help the national income per capita reach $30,000 per year from the existing $10,000, if you vote for the CHP to come to power.”

The current polls do not promise the CHP will take the government from the Justice and Development Party (AK Parti) for the time being. Kılıçdaroğlu recently said they were at just over 30 percent with an aim to reach 35 percent, which might be an ambitious goal to achieve in such a short time before the ballot box.

But what is important for the CHP is its persistence in sticking with the economic goals in its campaign instead of getting involved in an ideological fight with the AK Parti, as was the case in former elections.

The CHP’s shift to more social-democratic pledges and pragmatic projects instead of an ideological fight with the AK Parti has been one of the two main factors which has made President Tayyip Erdoğan and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu a bit nervous – the other one being the Peoples’ Democratic Party’s (HDP) challenge of the 10 percent threshold to get into parliament.

Kılıçdaroğlu’s launching of the election campaign by promising two months of extra payments to retirees and a vow to increase the minimum wage from the current 950 Turkish Liras ($360) to 1500 liras ($560) a month caught the AK Parti unprepared and inspired both the HDP and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) to highlight their economic promises.

PM Davutoğlu and his government members have been spending a lot of energy since then to explain to employed and unemployed voters why they cannot pay them more, while the opposition members hit hard on extra spending, for example for the new presidential palace.

Both Erdoğan and Davutoğlu have made an effort to drag the opposition parties back to the ideological struggle game which they know how to play best. The HDP, which is likely to determine the fate of the seat distribution in the parliament depending on whether it breaks the threshold, has the most vulnerable position because of having one of its main focuses on the Kurdish problem.

The CHP’s insistence on the social-democratic might be working well, since Davutoğlu’s first response was to say that it was actually his idea some 15 years ago, when he mentioned it briefly in his book titled “Strategic Depth.” Deputy Prime Minister Yalçın Akdoğan on the other hand, said Kılıçdaroğlu’s project was a fantasy.

But Enis Berberoğlu, the CHP’s deputy chairman in charge of communications and media, said AK Party officials are actually making CHP propaganda while spending lots of time on explaining to people why the CHP projects cannot be realized, which also showed how uncomfortable they are with the projects.

Murat Yetkin

Hurriyet Daily News

May/22/2015

Merkez Türkiye is one of the most important proposals of Republican People’s Party, which has been introduced by our Leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu on 21 May 2015, during Turkey’s Economical Prosperity Project meeting. Merkez Türkiye is a project more than just significant since it is going to be making use of some of the most strategic and important features of Turkey as a country simultaneously.

As you would remember, when our Leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu started the election campaign on 19 April 2015, he emphasized a “4 Step Election Strategy” in order to create “A Livable Turkey.”

Let’s begin with remembering what these four steps were before we start talking about Merkez Türkiye Project;

1. To restore the supremacy of law, empower the questionability of the government structure as well with enabling the transparency on a governmental basis. As you know, all of these have been almost non-existent in the last 13 years. In other words, the first step is to strengthen participatory democracy, supremacy of law and state’s transparency and questionability.
2. Drafting projects empowering Turkey’s international competition capacity and put these in practice as soon as possible. (Keep this one in mind because we are going to be mentioning this one very soon.)
3. To make sure every individual living in Turkey benefits equally from the economical reflections of the aforementioned projects. Meanly, to create an atmosphere in which we produce together and share what we gain equally.
4. To guarantee the sustainability of these three points and their supporting ideas because of the belief that they can meet the expectations only if they are kept sustainable.

Do you remember the part where we said, “Keep this one in mind?” Good. Because now we are getting back there.

Merkez Türkiye is a project that is going to give Turkey the power needed for the international market while increasing the investments made and offer young people qualified employment opportunities and provide productivity in the economy.

Shall we explain it more briefly?

Yes, let’s do that.

Merkez Türkiye is Project, which is based on building a new city within the boundaries of Turkish Republic that is going to take its power from Turkey’s exquisite geography and young population. Merkez Türkiye is going to bring substantial amount of benefits since it will increase the prosperity and peace with its economical scope.

After talking about what Merkez Türkiye is, we would like to answer the questions, which are likely to come up.

Here we go;

Are there other examples similar to Merkez Türkiye in the world?

Yes, there are. The first one is Integration of the Regional Infrastructure of South America. The second one is Kunming–Singapore Railway Project that aims to connect all the railways in Asian Peninsula. The third one is the Silk Road Economic Belt Initiative and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Route.

Okay, but Why Merkez Türkiye?

Because Republican People’s Party knows that it is possible to maximize the benefits of Turkey’s exquisite geographical location, which was valued very well in the past but now long forgotten except a few coincidences (Guess what these coincidences are.) There are both economical and social goals aimed with Merkez Türkiye; a project which is going to qualify the strategic geographical location of Turkey.

What are those goals?

Let us ask you a question first.

How many countries do you think can be reached within only 4.5 hours flight from Turkey?

10? 23? 39?

58, to be precise.

What does this mean?

This means there is a market only 4.5 hours away from Turkey that is worth 21,6 trillion dollars and a population of 1,5 billion.

Since we are located this close to such a market, Republican People’s Party aims to turn Turkey into a global port by using railways, airways, maritime lines and roads.

Let’s explain this with an example;

Goods loaded on ships from Baltimore Port, America will reach Mersin or İskenderun Port. From there, these will be transported to Merkez Türkiye, stored and packed here and then will be transported to Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Iraq via Turkey directly.

Here comes one other;

Sanliurfa’s cotton, Erzurum’s black amber, Bursa’s otomobiles, Mersin’s banana will be exported to Baku, Tashkent, Baghdad, Tebriz, Sham, Beijing by using the facilities and opportunities in Merkez Türkiye.

What is the situation in imports and exports in the frame of time and performance scheme now?

Today it takes approximately 55 days for a load of good to reach Baku from Shanghai Port. It will be possible to store this in Merkez Türkiye and from here, it can be transported to Baku by railroad in approximately 15 hours. Meanly, the buyer in Baku will be able to order the good only 15 hours in prior to delivery instead of ordering it 2 months before from the city, which is going to be built within the Merkez Türkiye. This kind of a system will also drop the transportation costs and will be a win win for both importers and exporters.

Another goal aimed with Merkez Türkiye is to process the loads and goods in Turkey, create added value and then re-export. By 2035, Merkez Türkiye will be creating added value that is worth 100 billion dollars.

Is that all?

Of course not.

Connecting the area which is referred as the Afro-Eurosia that consists of Middle East, Caucasisa and Central Asia by using trade roads is another goal aimed within the frame of Merkez Türkiye Project. In addition, the transportation network, which is going to be built and expanded continuously, will make the region even more accessible to United States of America and Europe, too. When these come together, Merkez Türkiye will turn into a significant trade center.

So, Merkez Türkiye is only a global center focusing on logistics?

No. Republican People’s Party is going to start Merkez Türkiye Project in the second year of their ruling and in 2020, there will be active work in the region. When it is completed in 2035, Merkez Türkiye is going to provide employment to 1.633.000 people directly. This number will be 2.200.000 when the extended area of Merkez Türkiye is taken into consideration. In Merkez Türkiye, income per capita is going to be 33.323 dollars and an export that is worth 65 billion dollars will be made.

What about funding?

We knew this was coming.

Of course, the funding.

The investment will be made in Merkez Türkiye is 200 billion dollars. 40 billion of the total 200 is going to be provided by the state for the infrastructure. State funding will be a retainer. 70% of this investment is planned to be completed by the year 2023. For the superstructure, national and international investors will supply 160 billion dollars. Meanly, Merkez Türkiye is going to be built in the frame of Public — Private Collaboration Model. International funding sources, such as European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and Asian Development Bank will also be used.

How about the prospect benefits?

The anticipated year for Merkez Türkiye Project to be completed is 2035. In 2035, Turkey’s domestic income will be 2.7 trillion dollars. 5.5% of this 2.7 trillion dollars will be provided from Merkez Türkiye Project, which is going to be implemented during Republican People’s Party’s ruling.

“This is not just an election manifesto. Today we are announcing a comprehensive document of a vision that no party has ever been able to draft for Turkey and its future” CHP Leader Kılıçdaroğlu said in his party’s election campaign launch in İstanbul on April 19, using the election slogan “Milletçe Akışlıyoruz” (We Applaud as a Nation).

“We know the situation of citizens – tradesmen, farmers and public servants – who are deep in debt. Turkey is unable to achieve growth or development. Wealth is not distributed in a just way. We have to rescue Turkey from the middle income trap. We have six significant projects that are attractive but will also directly solve citizens’ problems. We will tell our local branches to ‘just explain these six projects. Among these projects are two extra wages to be paid to pensioners and erasing 80% the past-due interest payments for people with credit card debts” said CHP Leader Kılıçdaroğlu, noting that nearly 5 million Turkish citizens had become indebted to banks in recent years.

Economic growth fell to 2.9 percent in 2014 from 4.2 a year earlier and the lira is down 12 percent versus the dollar this year. “Some 89,000 people have been imprisoned because they could not pay their debts, while 430,000 are at risk of being jailed just because of it. That’s why I criticize the government for turning the country into an open-air prison” said Kılıçdaroğlu. Bearing the slogan “a livable Turkey” the manifesto is divided into seven sections covering multiple topics from democracy and rule of law to public services, progress towards a knowledge economy to environment sustainability.

CHP Leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu pledged to strengthen the parliamentary system, saying the government had undermined the separation of powers, media freedom and EU candidate Turkey’s foreign relations.  “We will continue on our path, strengthening our parliamentary experience” he said.

Highlights from the CHP election manifesto:

– Thanks to a family insurance system the CHP will introduce, there will be no family earning less than 720 Turkish Liras a month. The minimum wage would also not be less than 1,500 liras, representing a 50 percent hike from its current amount. The amount of social aid granted to poor families will be doubled compared with that of today. A total of 16.7 million people and 3.5 million households would benefit from the aid, while women with small children would be granted TL 400 ($149) to cover nursery bills.

– We will increase the minimum wage and the minimum salary a retiree gets — currently TL 949 ($354) – by 58 percent to TL 1,500 ($560). We will grant retirees two one-month pension bonuses ahead of the holy month of Ramadan and the Eid al-Adha religious holiday.

– We promise to allow every family to own an apartment or to end high rents through a system in which families will pay only 277 liras a month for a 70-square-meter apartment.

– We promise to create employment for 1 million Turks through economic policies that envisage that creation of more jobs at a moment when official figures suggest more than 11 percent of the country is unemployed.

– Income tax rates will be diversified; everyone will be taxed according to their income

– A four person impoverished family will be guaranteed 230 KW/hour electricity for free

– Companies that employ at least 33 percent female employees will be given tax breaks

– Laws will be introduced banning law enforcement from using tear gas, disproportionate force and arbitrary searches and arrests

– The Higher Education Board (YÖK), established following a 1980 coup will be abolished as a step to further liberalize universities.

–  We will reduce the 10-percent election threshold to 5 percent.

– We will stop illegal spying and surveillance activities of the intelligence, police and telecommunication authorities to put an end to “intimidation” of the civil society

– We will turn Turkey into a strong European democracy in compliance with the EU norms and principles of the European Convention on Human Rights.

– We will introduce legislation to curtail arbitrary and excessive use of force and tear gas by the law enforcement.

– We will bring Turkish laws regulating Internet into line with international agreements it signed.

– A new constitution to be based on social and parliamentary consensus is a necessity to expand freedoms, strengthen the democracy and build social peace.

– An oversight commission in Parliament to be headed by the main opposition party will be established and tasked with scrutinizing the government conduct.

– Restructuring of juvenile courts and juvenile convictions, along with an end to juvenile arrests

– The Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK) will be divided into two boards, one for judges and the other for prosecutors, both given equal budgets

– Reduction of the current 10 percent election threshold needed for a political party to enter parliament down to 5 percent

– An additional 10 parliamentarians to represent Turkish citizens living abroad

– An end to legislative riders by outright banning omnibus bills

– Executive orders will not carry the weight of laws

– The CHP will seriously deal with the Kurdish question. We will establish a national inter-party commission to carry out the peace process. The right address for the resolution of the problem is the parliament. It is the CHP that can resolve this question because it’s the most courageous and honest party when it comes to resolving the Kurdish issue.

– Banning language restrictions in election campaigns and politics overall, particularly significant for Turkey’s Kurdish minority. Locations where names were forcibly changed will be returned to their former names, another issue of significance for Turkey’s Kurdish minority

– Official legal status will be granted to cemevis, the houses of worship for Turkey’s Alevi minority

– An end to mandatory religious education classes in schools

– Increasing Turkey’s mandatory 12 years of education to 13 years by including kindergarten and making mandatory education free

– Cancelling the construction of the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant

– Cancer screening trucks roaming the country offering free cancer screenings

– The 3rd Bosphorus Bridge, the North Marmara Highway and the 3rd Istanbul Airport projects will be reevaluated.

Yes we can: Four-legged realization strategy

Introducing a four-legged strategy for the realization of his promise, Kılıçdaroğlu said the first section was to ensure Turkey becomes one of the top 20 countries on the Human Development Index. “Our current rank is 69. Our objective is to move Turkey forward and to place it among the first 20 countries. Can we make it? Yes, we can,” he said.

The second leg of the strategy is to implement numerous measures to turn the country into a competitive economic actor by exiting the “middle income and middle technology trap”. “We need to develop a value-added industry based on technology production. To do so, we need to create an ‘information society.’ CHP Leader Kılıçdaroğlu said.

The third leg of the CHP strategy is to reinforce a constitutional principle of the “social state” to provide a fair distribution of the national wealth that has been severely damaged over the 13-year rule of current government. “They have implemented a very remorseless growth policy. Some people hit the jackpot while the number of the poor climbed. Let me give you a figure. In 2002, Turkey’s richest 1 percent grabbed 39 percent of the national wealth. This became 54 percent in 2014. This explains how we now have 17 million poor in the country. They have not opted to end poverty but manage it. They have turned the poor into their grassroots. But I promise there will be no poverty in Turkey at the end of four years of our rule”

The fourth leg is to establish a strong state with strong institutions free from the interventions of politics. “It’s not enough to establish democracy. It should be rooted. For this, the governments will not intervene into the affairs of independent institutions like the Central Bank and others.”

Kılıçdaroğlu also announced a “to-do list” for the first 100 days and 12 months of a CHP government.

Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu

Turkish foreign policy needs a new start: CHP

CHP Leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu defines the EU accession as CHP's top foreign policy priority. "Relations with the EU need a new start. Without waiting for the opening of new negotiation chapters, we need to take further steps in order to get our democratic standards stronger" says Kılıçdaroğlu.

Interview, Murat Yetkin

Turkish foreign policy needs a new start at once, especially after the historical deal between Iran and the world powers, says Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the leader of the social democratic main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP).

Considering the deal a “positive” step for “peace and stability in the Middle East,” Kılıçdaroğlu said it has the potential to realign the existing political balances in the region, highlighting Iran’s role if it is successfully completed and implemented.

“Turkey must update its foreign policy according to the needs of the new balances,” Kılıçdaroğlu told Hürriyet Daily News in a telephone interview on April 3. “For the last few years, Turkish foreign policy has been in decline in parallel with the level of democracy in domestic politics. Imagine that, up until a few years ago, Turkey used to mediate between Iran and the world powers. Now unfortunately we are almost totally out of the picture. President Tayyip Erdoğan has already been pushed out of the game by the international powers. U.S. President Barack Obama had asked both Erdoğan and Israeli President Binyamin Netanyahu to come to terms during his visit to Israel over the phone but let it go when neither of them did so,” he said.

Claiming the current foreign policy is damaging the interests of Turkey and the Turkish people, Kılıçdaroğlu said Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu was, “not capable of conducting a comprehensive foreign policy,” and Erdoğan was, “too stubborn to change his path, which he thinks is unmistaken.”

“As we are getting away from the standards of the European Union, our democratic standards are getting lower,” Kılıçdaroğlu continued. “Terrorism is back, the government is bringing additional measures to run the country by undeclared martial law with the new Domestic Security Law and our democracy deteriorates as the gap between Turkey and Europe widens,” he said.

The CHP leader said Turkish foreign policy should go through a revision in three main fields, with new priorities which put national interests first and which attempt to resume friendly relations with Turkey’s neighbors:

1- Relations with the EU need a new start. Without waiting for the opening of new negotiation chapters, we need to take further steps in order to get our democratic standards stronger.

2- Relations with the U.S. need a new start. The U.S. is our important ally and we have to resume good relations while also protecting our national interests as two equal democracies.

3- Relations with our Middle Eastern neighbors, especially Egypt, Israel, Syria and Iraq, need a new start. Turkish foreign policy must be taken out of the Sunni-Shiite fault lines in the region. Iran’s role is likely to increase following the nuclear deal. Turkey has to have better relations and cooperation with Iran.

The Turkish opposition leader said Iran’s historical deal with the world powers provides Turkey with an opportunity to renew its position, but he also says he doubted whether the Justice and Development Party (AK Parti) government could take advantage of it.

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