“If Recep Tayyip Erdogan wins again, our lives will become a nightmare,” said Perit, 23, a student in Istanbul.
He spent nearly two months in jail for taking part in protests against the appointment of a pro-government dean at Boazici University, a prestigious Turkish educational institution.
Perit and his friends Sud and Emru are among the country’s 5 million first-time voters who have never seen a Turkish leader other than Recep Tayyip Erdogan run their country.
This is the first time they are voting.
Emru alleges that rampant inflation is making life increasingly difficult for young people like them in Turkey. According to the government, this rate of inflation currently stands at 44 percent.
The country’s fragile economic situation is largely blamed on the policies adopted by President Erdoğan.
“You can’t just study and make a living, you have to get a full-time job to survive,” he said.
His girlfriend Sood also said she plans to vote for the opposition candidate in Sunday’s parliamentary and presidential elections.
“I don’t feel safe expressing my emotions and opinions. Because whenever I do that, I get attacked,” he said.
He was also given a 12-month suspended sentence earlier this year for attending protests at Boazichi University.
Perit believes that after 20 years in power of President Erdoğan and his AK Party, it is time for a change in the country.
“Twenty years is a long time to change people’s attitudes. During this time they have acquired an understanding of democracy and human rights. If Erdogan wins again, this may be our last election,” he said.
President Erdogan’s two-decade rule has gradually turned Turkey into an authoritarian state. Opposition political parties have promised to change that and return to a parliamentary system.
It is believed that there will be a fierce competition between the two main candidates in this election. It is said that President Erdoğan is going to face one of the toughest electoral tests in his political career.
Opposition candidate Kemal Kuluchdarulu has thrown a tough challenge in front of the Turkish president. He represents the ‘Table and Six’, a coalition of six opposition parties.
Some other anti-government groups also Mr. has announced support for Kuluchdarulu.
That’s why the 74-year-old former government official Mr. has become a major headache for Erdogan.
Eight percent of those voting in this election are ‘first-time voters’ who are voting for the first time.
Many consider this group to be the largest of the undecided groups in Turkey.
But 20-year-old Salih is clear about who he will vote for. “I think Recep Tayyip Erdogan is a charismatic leader,” he told the BBC. It is important to have that kind of charisma in Turkish politics.”
He believes Mr. Erdoğan can build Turkey’s future based on the various achievements of his regime.
“Earlier Turkey had a lot of problems with energy and because of the military, the country had to depend on other countries. But now we are making our own cars, drones and airplanes. Mr. Erdogan has solved all our problems,” he said.
All the candidates in the presidential campaign have tried to win the hearts of young voters.
Mr. Erdoğan emphasized the progress of the defense and technology sectors, but the opposition candidate Mr. Kuluchdarulu promised more freedom and improved employment.
But 20-year-old Gizem believes it is President Erdogan who has ensured freedom for all in Turkey.
“In today’s Turkey, anyone can do whatever they want. Decades ago, it was his opponents who undermined the freedom of the people. Women like me who wore hijab did not have the opportunity to study at university,” she said.
One of the major reforms President Erdoğan has introduced during his tenure is the lifting of a long-standing ban on women wearing the hijab in universities and government jobs.
“Today, if there is a doctor, engineer or teacher wearing hijab in this country, then it has been made possible by Mr. For Erdogan. He is the one who ensured this freedom. Had he not done this, we would have been deprived of this freedom even today in the name of secularism,” he said.
The opposition candidate Mr. Kuluchdarulu introduced a bill in Parliament last year. Then Mr. Erdoğan proposed holding a referendum on the proposal. This issue has not yet been resolved.
Two other candidates are running for president: center-left nationalist Muharram Inge and right-wing nationalist Sinan Wan.
Recent opinion polls have shown that both candidates appeal to young voters.
Therefore, supporters of the main opposition coalition fear that Mr. If Kuluchdarulu’s vote is split, the presidential election may lead to a second round of voting.
If no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote, a second round of elections will be held two weeks later.
And if anyone gets more than half of the votes in Sunday’s election, he will be directly elected president.
It is believed that who the women voters will vote for in this election will also play a major role in determining victory or defeat.
50.6% of total voters in Turkey are women.
It is believed that the country’s conservative women two decades ago Mr. Voted for Erdoğan, which is why he was able to come to power. But that support has now weakened.
Turkey has not signed the Istanbul Convention, an international agreement to protect women from domestic violence. As a result, he lost the support of many women.
Women also took part in protests against President Erdoğan’s decision.
In the past Mr. Erdoğan referred to women who have not yet become mothers as “half women”. He advised a woman to have at least three children.
President Erdoğan also said that it is not possible to treat men and women equally.
Mr. Erdoğan’s People’s Alliance is a coalition that includes the extreme Islamist party Huda Par. Hence the concern among many women MPs in her own party, the AK Party.
Gulsum Kav, associated with the feminist movement, says the current government does not believe in establishing equality between men and women. He said Mr. Women’s freedom has been curtailed under Erdoğan’s regime.
“Women are being attacked for wearing shorts, female music artists are being threatened with jail for the way they dress, and artists are being punished for criticizing sexual harassment.”
“They want women to sit at home, do nothing. But women have changed. They will also change Turkey,” he said.
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