Turkey is preparing for the presidential and parliamentary elections to be held on May 14, ahead of which the political atmosphere in the country has become quite tense. The victory of the coalition united around Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has ruled Turkey for more than twenty years, is not guaranteed. Turkey has the most competitive elections in recent decades, and even today, a day before the elections, it is not clear who will win.
Nazmi Algan, a left-leaning doctor who has been an active member of the Turkish Doctors Association and a political activist for many years, does not expect big changes in the coming years.
Nazmi Algan (doctor, member of the Turkish Medical Association) - Not much will change. Brazilian President Lulu said during the elections that you must first tear down the gates of hell before you can think about opening the gates of heaven. I liken it to the situation in Turkey. This government, which formed a coalition with the reactionary, nationalist party for twenty-one years and became "fascist" in recent years, must leave so that we can breathe in Turkey. Change is a necessity.
Algan does not rule out that the alliance led by Erdogan will have a majority in the parliament. He also considers it a problem that the other parties involved in the opposition bloc, apart from the Democratic Republican Party led by Kemal Kılıchdaroğlu, are traditional right-wing parties.
Nazmi Algan - In case of a change of power, Turkey will continue its traditional foreign policy. However, I think that Kılıchdaroğlu will show a more positive approach to the normalization of relations with Armenia and the opening of the border. When talking about the possibility of harmonious coexistence and the opening of borders, he also quotes that the denial of the Armenian Genocide is a big obstacle.
Edward Tandzikyan, editor-in-chief of ‘Agos’ weekly newspaper, does not foresee much progress in Armenian-Turkish relations in the event of the victory of the opposition bloc. According to Tandzikyan, it is easier for the current political authorities to take positive steps related to Armenians.
Edward Tandzikyan (chief editor of ‘Agos’ weekly newspaper) - Erdogan is a nationalist and Islamic leader, and it is easier for him to take steps regarding the Armenian and Kurdish issues. I don't think that Kılıchdaroğlu will take positive steps regarding these issues if he comes to power. Because in the case of Armenian and Kurdish issues, they will try to avoid the criticism of the nationalist and Islamic masses.
According to Tandzikyan, it is not easy to predict regarding the minorities of Turkey in the context of the elections.
Edward Tandzikyan - Justice and Development Party has been in power for twenty years. During these twenty years, there have been both positive and negative developments. One of the positives was that part of the property seized from minority foundations was returned. On the other hand, AKP, especially in recent years, has taken a nationalist and Islamic direction. There is certainly concern among ethnic minorities about this.
In the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections in Turkey, several parties nominated Armenian candidates. Among them, the chances of Sevan Sevaçoglu, nominated by the Justice and Development Party, to be elected are more highly valued.
Edward Tandzikyan - From 1960 to 2015, we did not have an Armenian deputy in the Turkish parliament. In 2015, there was hope that Turkey would become a more democratic country. In this period, there were three Armenian deputies in the parliament. It was an unprecedented phenomenon in the history of the republic.
The opposition pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party did not nominate Garo Paylan as a candidate in these elections. There is no other Armenian candidate nominated by that force. According to Tandzikyan, this fact caused disappointment in the Armenian community.
