VOA新闻杂志2023--Competing Visions of Turkey's Elections

Competing Visions of Turkey's Elections

Turkey will hold presidential and parliamentary elections on Sunday.

The elections take place as the Turkish Republic marks its 100th anniversary. Observers are watching election developments closely. A united opposition¹ in the country is aiming to end the long rule of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Erdogan became president in 2014 after establishing the office during his 14 years as the country's prime minister. Now he is seeking a third presidential term.

Erdogan's strongest competitor is Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the opposition Republican People's Party, or CHP. He represents a six-party alliance that seeks to end the presidential system Erdogan created. The alliance wants to return Turkey to a parliamentary democracy that includes checks and balances on power.

The 74-year-old Kilicdaroglu has also won the support of the country's pro-Kurdish party. It brings about 10 percent of the votes.

Early voter opinion studies show the opposition candidate with a small lead over the president. But, the race is very close. Experts consider it unlikely that Sunday's vote will be definitive². Many expect the process will require a second vote on May 28 between the two candidates who win the most ballots³ in the first.

Ozgur Unluhisarcikli, the director of the German Marshall Fund's Ankara office, said the race was about two competing visions. "For the first time in the 20 years since Erdogan came to power, he's facing a real electoral challenge which he may actually lose," the expert said.

Erdogan's campaign

The 69-year-old Erdogan leads the Justice and Development Party, or AKP.

He is campaigning on the strength of his rule. He speaks of his leadership guiding the country through the disaster from a powerful earthquake this year. The February 6 event leveled whole cities and killed over 50,000 people in southern Turkey.

Erdogan has recently enacted⁵ some financial policies aimed to please the public. They include increasing the minimum wage and pensions to offset⁶ the effects of inflation.

However, Erdogan has lost some support as a result of Turkey's weak economy and high cost of living. And, there is criticism of his government's response to the February earthquake.

During his campaign stops, Erdogan has tried to describe the opposition as working with "terrorists" and anti-Turkey foreign powers.

Other candidates

Two other candidates are also in the race for president.

They are Muharrem Ince, a former CHP leader who lost the last presidential election to Erdogan in 2018, and Sinan Ogan who has the backing of an anti-immigrant nationalist party.

Ince, who heads the Homeland Party, has come under criticism from Kilicdaroglu supporters. They accuse Ince of splitting the votes and forcing the elections into a runoff.

Issue for the elections

The main issues of the elections are the economy and high inflation.

In Istanbul, tea-shop owner Cengiz Yel said he would vote "for change" because of the government's failure to fix the economy.

"We worry about the rent, the electricity, and other bills," Yel said. "For the past year, I have been starting each new month with more debt."

Others support Erdogan who improved roads and bridges in the country and lifted many people out of poverty in the early years of his rule.

"I love my nation. I want to be with a leader who serves his nation," said Arif Portakal, a 65-year-old Erdogan supporter in Istanbul.

The campaign has been marked with some violence. On Sunday, protesters in the eastern city of Erzurum threw rocks at a campaign event for Kilicdaroglu. At least seven people were injured. The mayor of Istanbul was speaking at the event.

Turkish voters will also enter votes to fill seats in the 600-member parliament. The opposition would need at least a majority to be able to enact⁴ some of the democratic reforms it has promised.

More than 64 million people, including 3.2 million Turkish citizens outside the country, can vote in the elections. And voter turnout in Turkey is traditionally high.

There are concerns over how voters among the 3 million people who have been displaced following the earthquake will be able to vote.

Some have also questioned whether Erdogan would accept an electoral defeat.

In 2015, Erdogan is believed to have worked to block coalition⁷ talks after his ruling party lost its parliamentary majority in elections. The party regained⁸ a majority in repeat elections a few months later.

Words in This Story

pension - n. the amount of money that a company or government pays to a person who is old or sick and no longer works

offset - v. to reduce the effect of something

response - n. something that is done as a reaction to something else

1 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

2 definitive   

adj.确切的，权威性的；最后的，决定性的

参考例句：

• This book is the definitive guide to world cuisine.这本书是世界美食的权威指南。
• No one has come up with a definitive answer as to why this should be so.至于为什么该这样，还没有人给出明确的答复。

3 ballots   

n.投票表决( ballot的名词复数 )；选举；选票；投票总数v.（使）投票表决( ballot的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• They're counting the ballots. 他们正在计算选票。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The news of rigged ballots has rubbed off much of the shine of their election victory. 他们操纵选票的消息使他们在选举中获得的胜利大为减色。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 enact   

vt.制定(法律)；上演，扮演

参考例句：

• The U.S. Congress has exclusive authority to enact federal legislation.美国国会是唯一有权颁布联邦法律的。
• For example,a country can enact laws and economic policies to attract foreign investment fairly quickly.例如一个国家可以很快颁布吸引外资的法令和经济政策。

5 enacted   

制定（法律），通过（法案）( enact的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• legislation enacted by parliament 由议会通过的法律
• Outside in the little lobby another scene was begin enacted. 外面的小休息室里又是另一番景象。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

6 offset   

n.分支，补偿；v.抵消，补偿

参考例句：

• Their wage increases would be offset by higher prices.他们增加的工资会被物价上涨所抵消。
• He put up his prices to offset the increased cost of materials.他提高了售价以补偿材料成本的增加。

7 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

8 regained   

复得( regain的过去式和过去分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地

参考例句：

• The majority of the people in the world have regained their liberty. 世界上大多数人已重获自由。
• She hesitated briefly but quickly regained her poise. 她犹豫片刻，但很快恢复了镇静。