37 days after the earthquake, dump trucks and heavy equipment scurry across the town that used to be Adıyaman. The city is now mostly an abandoned wreck, home only to islands of white tents. What Adıyaman went through wasn’t just a disaster it could walk off; this city’s back is broken, perhaps irreparably.
60 days out from one of the most consequential elections in Turkish history, the burning question is: does this sway the voters? AKP’s voter block is notoriously loyal; not necessarily to the party but the man. For better or for worse, President Erdoğan has taken the last 20 years to cultivate a cult of personality that rivals any other living leader. And to say Adıyaman is a stronghold for the current government is an understatement as the voters of Adıyaman enthusiastically voted 67% in favor of the man and 64% in favor of his coalition in 2018.
AKP is still strong in Adıyaman, President Erdoğan more so. But after the government’s lackluster response to the earthquake, the people’s trust is shaken. There are those who love the president and hate the party. Those who hate them both but don’t know who else they can vote for. Those who have been completely disillusioned with politics. And those who want them gone and start fresh. –A category one would be hard pressed to find in downtown Adıyaman just a few months prior.
As the rain pours down on Adıyaman, people wait in long lines to get something to eat. They grab their Styrofoam trays and take refuge under shop awnings to eat. One shop owner leans up against his doorframe, quietly observing the neighborhood. When asked if AKP will reign victorious once again, he answers:
“They will win again, for sure. Who else can you vote for? The opposition? No way. They would most certainly be worse.”
A few steps away a taxi driver stands idly by his cab. Business has been abysmal; there are no fares to be had as no one has anywhere to go anymore.
“Don’t you see what happened here? Where was AKP then? No way. They will lose for sure!”
“Listen son, the minority always gets crushed in this country.”
A few steps behind him is the local AKP provincial headquarters, adorned with a massive portrait of President Erdoğan. The men inside are hesitant to talk to the press, they quickly avert their gaze and respond to almost everything with “I don’t know.”
A few steps behind past the building is another tent city. A few elderly men are gathered around a fire, sipping tea and talking politics. One exclaims “We don’t care about the party! We back our President!”
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Another elderly man rolling a cigarette has a more cynical point of view:
“Listen son, the minority always gets crushed in this country. You vote for them because you have to. I’ll vote for Erdoğan and I’ll vote for AKP. I vote for right-wing parties. Why do Kurds vote for left-wing parties? Because they have to. Who else can they vote for? If you lose, you get suppressed in this country. That’s how it’s always been.”
“Sure, the government fires you or arrests you if you speak ill of them.” Says one AKP supporter. “But wouldn’t the opposition do the same if they were in charge? Sure they would.”
The opposition’s presidential candidate Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu’s promises of a fair and just society where everyone’s rights and freedoms are respected and upheld by the government, seems a farfetched pipe dream to a lot of voters in Adıyaman, who have known nothing but oppression in the past.
“Getting stabbed by someone you thought was your friend hurts more.”
But another man a few steps down is not so enthusiastic. He has lost many relatives in the earthquake and has waited for days for help to arrive to no avail. He almost breaks into tears as he speaks and asks for a moment to gather himself before saying:
“I honestly don’t know who to vote for. I don’t want to vote for AKP because of what they did. It has been 20 years and we forgave them for so much, but this…”
“I feel like we’ve been stabbed in the back. Getting stabbed by someone you thought was your friend hurts more. “
But the opposition is not the answer for this voter. As a devout and religious man, his priority is religious freedom; something previous secularist government showed little tolerance for before AKP took power 20 years ago. Despite the opposition coalition including two conservative parties and one islamist party in its ranks, this voter is not convinced that they would uphold religious liberties.
“Previous government’s banned headscarves and I think they will ban them again. They used to say, you might own the mosques, but we own the streets. They wouldn’t let women wear headscarves. It is their right, is it not? I don’t want to live like that again. Soon as they grab power, they will go back to their old ways, I’m sure of it.”
“We came to your aid on July 15th! But you didn’t come to ours!”
On July 15th, 2016, elements within the military attempted a coup to overthrow the Erdoğan government. The government pinned the blame on members of FETÖ, a religious cult and former Erdoğan ally, turned mortal enemies, that has slowly been infiltrating the ranks of the military for the last 20 years. Turkey has been home to almost countless military coups over the last century and most of them have succeeded in overthrowing the government. However, this coup was different. While past coups actually enjoyed at least some degree of support from the public, this time, Erdoğan supporters took to the streets and overran the military, using nothing more than their own bodies for shields against a hail of bullets. The coup was defeated and Erdoğan remained in power.
Perhaps the greatest divider in opinion appears to be age. A few young men running electronics shops in downtown Adıyaman have only recently reopened their shops. They aren’t eager to talk to the press, as regardless of political leaning, there is one thing everyone in Adıyaman knows all too well: “To speak ill of the government is to risk it all.”
But there is one question that gets them going: “How is business?”
“Well, it wasn’t good before the earthquake anyway.” One man starts. After that a few of his friends join him and the flood gates are open.
“I campaigned for AKP for 15 years! I went to coffee shops and asked for votes. After this earthquake, AKP is dead to me!”
“We came to your aid on July 15th! But you didn’t come to ours!” He exclaims.
His friend adds: “I never voted in my life. If you told me I had to vote for someone, I wouldn’t vote for AKP”
Another jumps in: “If you don’t vote, that is still a vote for AKP! I’ll pick you up on election day and drive you to the polls!”
“We tried these guys (AKP) for 20 years! Let’s just try the other guys (opposition) for a term. What do we have to lose?”
