How Turkey’s local elections became ‘matter of national survival’

Source:al Monitor Date:14Mar2019

A good read to understand AKP-MHP spin on local elections.  Also contains precious poll data.

Both Erdogan and his alliance partner Devlet Bahceli say the local elections are a ‘matter of survival’ for Turkey. This is terminology the Turkish nationalist right wing has been using to warn of Turkey being under threat. But it is also the first time that this is being used for local elections.

All these narratives indicate that the president is worried about possible outcome of the elections and is trying divert the voters’ attention. Only in the first two months of this year food prices in Turkey rose by 13.21%.

According to a poll by the Social Democracy Foundation, when asked what they can’t buy anymore, 51% of respondents said “red meat” and 23% said clothing.