Written by Engin Erkiner WHY IS AKP THE FIRST PARTY?
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WHY IS AKP THE FIRST PARTY? Continuing from the previous article, about half of the voters abroad are in Germany and therefore it is important and decisive to be the first party in the elections in this country. In some countries with fewer voters, other parties may come first, but in Germany it is decisive to be the first party, and by a wide margin. Why does the AKP receive more support from voters abroad than it does in Turkey? Several reasons can be listed. Firstly, the right to vote for Turkish citizens living abroad, except for local elections, was recognised under the AKP government. In the previous years, the issue was brought to the agenda of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey several times, some CHP deputies proposed a law on this issue, but no party, including the CHP, took any interest in the issue. Turkish citizens living abroad could vote at customs gates in previous years, but very few of them could do so. Especially from Germany, buses used to be organised for voting and these buses used to go as far as Kapıkule and return back after voting. Although buses are no longer organised, it is still possible to vote at customs during the election period. While citizens of many other countries can vote in the elections in their own countries even when they live abroad, Turkish citizens have only belatedly been able to exercise this right. The AKP is the one who took the issue seriously. Secondly, while other parties remember the Turkish voters living in Germany from election to election, AKP is constantly working. Especially AKP women are active in meetings and home visits. Thirdly, a significant part of Turkish TV channels are controlled by AKP. Almost every Turkish person in Germany has a satellite TV in his/her home and can watch Turkish TV channels at all times. This creates wide propaganda opportunities for the AKP. Trade unions are an important example of the AKP's mass activity. IG-Metall, the world's largest trade union, is organised in the industrial state of Baden Württemberg. This union invited Can Dündar to speak at a meeting. Upon learning of this, a large number of Turkish workers went to the headquarters of the union in the region and demanded that the meeting be cancelled, otherwise they would quit the union. They were outnumbered, the union backed down and the meeting was cancelled. The main reason for the AKP's mass support in Germany is the continuous propaganda by Turkish TV channels and regular mass work. Elections in Germany - and in other countries - are not like those in Turkey. Polling stations are only located in consulates. For this reason, many voters have to travel to the cities where the consulates are located to cast their votes. This is why mass transport is important in elections. Buses are organised, the masses gather, go to the city where the consulate is located, vote and return. The two parties that did this best in the last election were AKP and HDP. Nevertheless, in Germany, a large country, the voting rate in the Turkish elections is around 50 per cent. Many people have to travel several hundred kilometres round trip to vote. The HDP was the second party in the last election in Germany thanks to its successful voter transport, while the CHP was the third party because it was not interested in transport. The situation is likely to change in this election. One more issue is important for AKP's support. In previous years, Turkey was hardly ever mentioned in the German press. Due to Turkey's emergence as a regional power, its expansionism, its role in the Azerbaijan-Armenia war, its role as a mediator in the Ukraine war and other reasons, Turkey is constantly in the German press. It cannot be said that the press and television generally speak favourably of Turkey, they are critical, but for many Turkish citizens living in this country, the important thing is that their country is constantly on the agenda. Few Germans do not know Erdoğan's name. Although other secondary factors could be added to explain the AKP's high support, this is sufficient.
