Generation Erdogan: More than 5 million young Turks to vote for the first time

They are called Generation Z and they have known only one leader: Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

While some are hoping for a change in leadership, others want to see Erdogan and his Islamic conservative Justice and Development Party (AKP) returned to power. They face a choice on May 14 between Erdogan and three challengers: opposition alliance candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu; Muharrem Ince, who ran against Erdogan in the 2018 elections; and far-right candidate Sinan Ogan. 

Erdogan once dreamed of raising a “pious generation”. But many young Turks are looking to free themselves from the shackles of religion and enjoy more civic freedoms. According to a recent poll cited by AFP, only 20 percent of 18- to 25-year-olds plan to vote for the president and his AKP party in the presidential and legislative elections on May 14.     

But the incumbent also knows how to play to nationalist sentiment – and Western resentment – presenting himself as the forerunner of a Turkey that could be a global superpower, a Turkey both respected and feared.      

“Among some of the youth, there is a resentment of the West that Erdogan often capitalises on: ‘Westerners despise us, they do not grant us visas’,” explains Ahmet Insel, a publisher and political scientist. “This galvanises religious identity, Sunni-Turkish identity.”

Hoping for a change  

Fatma Reyyan Ince and Izot are looking for a change in leadership that would revive hopes of a more open and democratic Turkey.

Fatma Reyyan Ince, 19, Kahramanmaras in southeast Turkey 

Sitting on a café terrace with a friend, Fatma Reyyan Ince takes a little break while studying for university entrance exams; the high school student hopes one day to study law at Antalya International University.

“I am very happy at the idea of ​​voting for the first time but also stressed by exams. For the past three months, given what has happened (editor’s note: the devastating February earthquakes), I have become more interested in politics. These are difficult times.”

“I know whom I will vote for: Muharrem Ince (no relation). If there is a second round, Inshallah (God willing), it will be Kilicdaroglu. 

My father is pro-AKP, my maternal grandmother is also. But my mother and I feel the same way. There is also a big difference between generations: We are very open-minded, unlike older people, and we think about the consequences of each decision.

It is very hard to be 20 today in Turkey. The economy is bad. We have to think about our studies. I want to stay here; it is impossible to consider leaving the country. Even if in 10 years nothing has changed, I will not go anywhere. But I dream of a free country.

I think Erdogan has been in power for so long because people trust him. He did what he promised. If people think he can turn the economy around, he has a good chance of being re-elected. 

Turkey is a beautiful country. If we manage to revive the economy, we will have renewed success.”

Izot, 20, Istanbul  

Izot describes himself as an activist for the LGBT cause. Although decriminalised since 1858 in Turkey, homosexuality remains a taboo subject in a society that is largely Muslim and conservative. Izot aspires to make political documentaries that can someday change the world.  

“This is the first time that I will take part in a presidential election. It is very important. I do not yet know which party I will vote for in the parliamentary election but I will vote for Kilicdaroglu for president.”

“Being LGBT and talking about it openly is very difficult in Turkey. In big cities, it’s easier, but we’re scared even when we’re with friends in a cafe. We have to use a secret vocabulary so that people don’t understand us. We call it ‘Lubunca‘.

We are always afraid. There are many suicides, people are killed. During Nowruz, the spring festival, in Diyarbakir, some were attacked by people shouting, ‘We don’t want fags here!’

Verbal attacks and threats have increased on social networks. If you have a rainbow flag on your profile picture, you are insulted.

I want to live in a world where you can walk without being afraid, where you can assert your identity. I would like Turkey to become a modern democracy. I know it won’t be easy, but we want the same rights as everyone else. We want to walk hand in hand with our partners. We want political parties to take into account the LGBT community, to make LGBT rights part of their platforms.

My parents know about my activism, not my identity. But I’m ready to talk to them about it. They are my family; I am their son. I want to believe that they will accept it.”

Staying the course

Abdulkadir Ciftci and Zeynep Sude Canakcioglu note the progress that has been made in the last 20 years and think Erdogan will continue moving Turkey towards a brighter future.

Abdulkadir Ciftci, 19, Adiyaman in southeast Turkey   

Sitting behind his father’s desk at a shop in Adiyaman, Abdulkadir’s innocent face glows with an enviable self-assurance. A 19-year-old high school student, he dreams of a career in justice.

“Ever since I was little, I dreamed of studying law. I wanted to become a lawyer, to have my own firm. Now I want to become a prosecutor, Inshallah. I want to seek justice. Justice exists in Turkey, and the government is working to improve it. Twenty years ago, there was a real division between the Turks and the Kurds. Today, that no longer exists. I can sing in Kurdish on Istiqlal Street in Istanbul without anyone bothering me.”

“I am very invested in this election because I have to secure my future. Whether it is one party or the other, I’ll vote for whoever puts manufacturing back in the spotlight. We make our own cars, our own drones, we have our own agricultural sector. I want people to live better.

Turkey experienced a golden age with Erdogan, the second after the Ottoman Empire. He built bridges, buildings. He made it possible for people to live in peace. Even if things are going a little less well today – I don’t know why – I want Turkey to regain its strength, like under the Ottoman Empire. I want Turkish to become a universal language.”

Zeynep Sude Canakçioglu, 19, Istanbul

With a short haircut, tailored jacket and a sparkle in her eye, Zeynep is a student studying the insurance sector in Istanbul. She smiles broadly when she talks about her support for President Erdogan.

“Like many other young people, it’s my first election and I can’t wait to participate. I’m happy to live in Turkey. I am free, and even if things are not always easy, I have a lot of dreams.”

“The only thing I’m thinking about right now is my future. I wonder what will happen after the elections and what my career will be. It’s the only thing that matters to young people.

Erdogan is my candidate. I will vote for him because he attaches great importance to the youth; he cares about our future. I also believe in the legacy of [the founder of modern day Turkey, Mustafa Kemal] Ataturk and the path he blazed for us.

As a young Turk, I value my country and my nationality. I do not want to vote for those [opposition figures] who shake hands with the enemies of the state (editor’s note: the Peoples’ Democratic Party, or HDP, and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK) and the army. That is unacceptable. Many people are ungrateful – they should recognise the progress that has been made over the past 20 years. 

I think Erdogan will win this election in the first round. We have had 20 years, and I hope we will have 20 more. Inshallah.”

This article has been translated from the original in French.