Thread by @arzugeybulla

Time to start a new 🧵 ahead of the second round of elections scheduled for May 28.
Kicking off the thread with this new campaign video released by presidential candidate @kilicdarogluk and @jamesinturkey's take on it.
#TurkeyElections
#Secim2023

Highly recommend watching this video () by journalsit @nevsinmengu discussing election night and what went wrong. Few takeaways:
CHP algorithm was wrong (esp as the party did not have observers at 20k polling stations);+

Meanwhile journalsit @RusenTakva explains other mistakes by YSK (supreme election council). One party contesting votes (this is for parliamentary seats) is Yesil Sol Parti. According to Takva some 250k-300k votes were assigned to MHP (in coalition with the AKP) instead of YSP

Turkey's main opposition party said it had filed complaints over suspected irregularities at thousands of ballot boxes in Sunday's elections, in which President Tayyip Erdogan performed better than expected reut.rs/3IiKT0t

In the weeks ahead, Erdoğan will tout Turkey’s status as a first-rate regional power in a multipolar world. With the media largely on his side, he could easily pull off yet another victory. ft.com/content/5d819c… by @DimitarBechev

Western nations are steeling themselves for five more years of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as the Turkish leader heads into a presidential run-off as the resounding favorite.

ft.com/content/6b15f1…

"Advocating for transparency and due process around the removal of content doesn’t necessarily mean always agreeing with that content or the people behind such accounts," writes @cyberrights for @Slate slate.com/technology/202…

Meanwhile fans during Fenerbahce game shout “we do not want Hizbulla in the parliament” in protest to newly elected MPs from Hüda-Par party following the general elections on May 14

Oh Newsweek - you got it totally wrong

On CHP more hardened campaigning ahead of second round:

- Iyi Party will engage with TR’s nationalist voter base;
- Istanbul and Ankara mayors will work on their turf;
- the party will appoint 4-5 observers at each ballot box;
- goal is to convince voters who didn’t vote;

Final vote count by YSK announced tonight indicates the difference in total votes between two presidential candidates (including votes cast abroad) at 2.538.671 million

bbc.com/turkce/live/ha…

Meanwhile AKP istanbul municipality Group Spokesperson Murat Türkyılmaz targets current mayor Imamoglu via Twitter. Claiming expanding “file” on the mayor and the mayor himself will be taken care of after elections halktv.com.tr/siyaset/akp-so…

Here is some background on the popular Istanbul mayor and the charges he is facing advox.globalvoices.org/2022/12/15/in-…

Turks living overseas begin voting today. Overseas voting will end on May 24 ahead of the second round of elections in Turkey scheduled for May 28.

The elections were free but, indeed, not fair. Erdoğan enjoyed asymmetric access to public resources and controlled much of the media, and opposition politicians were often subjected to verbal and physical attacks.+ By @OzgurHisarcikli gmfus.org/news/erdogan-j…

Erdoğan played the polarization game vigorously, repeatedly accusing the opposition of promoting LGBTI culture among Turkish youth, supporting the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), and acting as puppets of foreign powers.+

The opposition assumed that they could counter such polarizing tactics through a positive campaign and conciliatory politics, but they were not able to do so effectively [...]but it should come as no surprise that in the end voters showed little interest in the lengthy document.+

Also catching up on this story by @TheTurkishLife on Istanbul's housing crunch. "The property market inflation is compounding the difficulty of addressing what critics describe as decades of neglect when it comes to the city’s disaster readiness." + bloomberg.com/news/features/…

Experts believe that approximately 200,000 buildings in Turkey’s largest city would sustain at least moderate damage in the event of a severe earthquake — and nearly half of those are considered high-risk.+

Also highly recommend watching this Q&A "After the vote: Election Q+A" with @Turkeyrecap's @DiegoCupolo and long-time Turkey analyst @alanmakovsky I thought the suggestion that Kilicdaroglu and Erdogan went on a public debate was very interesting.

And don't forget to schedule a calendar reminder for another Q&A this time with @berkesen happening on May 24, on pre-election projections.

And another recommendation from @Turkeyrecap - this newsletter that sums up all things election following the first round that took place on May 14 turkeyrecap.substack.com/p/glitch-darog…

What happened in Turkey this past weekend highlights the latest and most disturbing trend in the rise of illiberal democracy. By @FareedZakaria washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/…

Turkey’s new parliament after May 14 elections may look more diverse and colorful, featuring members from 18 parties, but nationalist and conservative forces, scattered on either side of the aisle, have gained unprecedented weight in the legislature.+
al-monitor.com/originals/2023…

Essentially, the results show an increased nationalist-Islamist orientation among the working class and low-income groups in both urban and rural areas. Though battered by Turkey’s economic turmoil, those masses chose to back Erdogan’s conservative alliance.+

In sum, the country has ended up with the most nationalist and conservative parliament since modern Turkey was established a century ago.+

The YRP [in coalition with the ruling party alliance], for instance, aims to prevent Turkey’s return to the Istanbul Convention on protecting women’s rights, tackle “LGBTQ perversion” and defeat those who oppose Quranic education for children as young as 4.+

Huda-Par [the offshoot of Hizbullah] promotes a new constitution in line with Islamist values, amending Turkey’s own law on preventing VaW, curbing the alimony rights of divorced women, & an end to the compulsory co-education system [to name a few].

To give you a sense of how pro-govt. media is covering the run-up to the 2nd round of the election in #Turkey - A Haber, a TV channel, aired a segment on new ballots omitting Kilicdaroglu's name and picture and using instead "another candidate" description halktv.com.tr/secim-2023/ikt…

Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imanoglu, who is running for vice president, said on Sunday that the results of the presidential election runoff on 28 May will likely also determine the fate of the local government in Istanbul. newsaboutturkey.com/2023/05/21/ima…

Minister of interior accused volunteer observers of “terroriz[ing] polling stations” and said on Saturday, they lacked the legal capacity to serve as poll attendants or observers. newsaboutturkey.com/2023/05/21/tur…

Meanwhile, currency exchange this morning in #Turkey

The question on everyone's mind is who will the right-wing Ogan (who received 5% backing in the first round) endorse in the second round of elections in #Turkey. Ogan is expected to make a statement today (May 22) at 5pm local time. cumhuriyet.com.tr/siyaset/son-da…

Journalist @KadriGursel's take on Ogan's announcement expected today, "[Ogan] has no loyal voters, and those who voted for him [did it so as] not to have voted for the other two candidates."

It was clear from the start whom Ogan will endorse. His announcement was not surprising at all.

al-monitor.com/originals/2023…

The value of Ogan’s endorsement remains in question, however, as there is no clear indication of how willing those who voted for him in the first round would follow his preference for one side over the other.

al-monitor.com/originals/2023…

After Ogan's endorsement of Erdogan, the ATA Alliance splits. Today, the leader of Victory Party said they are endorsing Kılıçdaroğlu. Meanwhile, HDP, re-confirms its commitment to Kılıçdaroğlu regardless of new endorsements

In this highly recommended piece, @Turkeyrecap's @DiegoCupolo and @deingrid break down the reasons for nationalist undercurrents in #Turkey open.substack.com/pub/turkeyreca…

.@RSF_inter denounces the Turkish media’s biased coverage on 14 May and the presidential run-off between incumbent Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and opposition challenger Kemal Kiliçdaroglu that is to be held on 28 May. rsf.org/en/erdo%C4%9Fa…

It remains to be seen what Sunday’s election holds, but if Erdogan wins by a landslide, @SonerCagaptay said, “he will be vindicated on unorthodox economic policies, lack of rule of law and the end of social autonomy.” cnn.com/2023/05/27/mid…

Meanwhile Supreme Election Council said it will announce final results of the parliamentary vote after presidential election which is taking place tomorrow, May 28 m.bianet.org/bianet/siyaset…

In this podcast, @humeyra_pamuk and @NicholasDanfort discuss the nature of President Erdogan’s rule, the roots of his political longevity, and what these elections mean for Turkey’s future. warontherocks.com/2023/05/why-er…

In Hatay, one of the provinces most affected by the Feb. 6 earthquakes, voting day will once again pose logistical and transportation challenges for hundreds of thousands of displaced residents.
via @Turkeyrecap
open.substack.com/pub/turkeyreca…

The day has arrived. Turkey is headed to the polls for a second round of the presidential elections. #TurkeyElections

Ahead of election day in #Turkey, Pres. candidate Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu said the party was prevented from sending SMS notifications. Acc. to @FreeWebTurkey the reason was Information Technologies and Communications Authority (BTK) threatening mobile operators with sanctions +

in case they refused to comply with BTK's decision. But according to Turkcell CEO Murat Erkan the decision was applied to all mass SMS notifications not just Kılıçdaroğlu gercekgundem.com/secim/turkcell…

How much elections matter 🙃 a woman and her baby goat

A bit late to reporting vote count as I just finished observing the vote count at my precinct .

ANKA reports a total of 55.7% ballot boxes opened

Kilicdaroglu 51.04%
Erdogan 48.96%

The most stress induced hours 🗳️🗳️🗳️

You know what is worse?! That, this election was stolen. And there are several culprits.
And it was stolen already in the first round.

I also don’t understand how easily the results are accepted as they are.

Kilicdaroglu delivers a general message of gratitude but not a word of what he plans on doing about election results. Or what’s next.

Aksener too in her speech accepts the results and congratulates Erdogan on victory. Saying she hopes this new victory won’t blind him. Doesn’t mention the alliance, and instead focuses on her party only.

It is 1am and this is the “celebration” in a residential neighborhood.
Just because they can.

Turkey is now a divided nation with a broken economy. Critics say the president has no solution for either. bbc.com/news/world-eur…

Addressing hundreds of thousands of people gathered at the scene, Erdogan maintained his polarizing tone against his rivals, reiterating his claim that Kilicdaroglu collaborated with outlawed Kurdish militants during the campaign.

al-monitor.com/originals/2023…