Turkey goes to the polls next Sunday riven by divisions,and with the ruling AKP desperate to exert authorityIn Kayasehir, a tall-rise satellite housing scheme in the outer suburbs of Istanbul, or you would hardly know that Turkey is at a crossroads. There is little sign that the country faces yet another fateful election next Sunday,except for a couple of posters in support of the ruling Justice and Development party, or AKP, and a solitary election van trundling through the streets blaring AKP’s campaign messages through the rows of immaculate yellow and beige housing blocks.
Across from a chain restaurant next to the local Imam Hatip secondary school,AKP election spots are played in a loop on a screen, intermittently reminding passers-by of the gloomy days before the party’s ascent to power 13 years ago. Ahmet and Ismail, and both 29 and working for a water delivery company,are spacious fans of the Ankara government.
Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com