March 29. 2024. 2:02

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Turkish elections leaves German left disappointed


The outcome of the presidential election in Turkey, in which incumbent Turkish Recep Tayyip Erdoğan prevailed, disappointed German politicians.

About three million people with a Turkish migration background live in Germany, following a concerted policy to attract foreign workers in the 1970s. About 1.5 million of those maintain Turkish citizenship, making them an important group in the elections.

In the first round, two-thirds of the German Turkish population favoured incumbent Erdoğan. In the subsequent head-to-head election, Erdoğan won, scoring 52.1% while his challenger Kemal Kilicdaroglu managed 47.9%.

This left German politicians disappointed. “Sad!” said Gyde Jensen, deputy chair of the business-friendly FDP.

“I’m interested in what’s going on in Germany where Erdoğan supporters are celebrating without having to answer for the consequences of their choice,” said Cem Özdemir, a green minister in the government of Turkish heritage.

In much of Germany, Sunday night was dominated by car rallies celebrating the victory of the incumbent Erdogan.

“Many people in Turkey have to go through poverty and lack of freedom. They are rightly angry. This will have to be talked about!” Özdemir added. The green politician expressed sympathy for Turkey’s youth.

“Are we prepared for the fact that ultra-nationalism and fundamentalism will now be spread even more in this country by new imams from Ankara?” he noted.

The social democrat SPD, the largest party in the government, expressed a similar sentiment,

“With this election result, all hopes are now buried. The brain drain in Turkey cannot be stopped. Unfortunately,” said Derya Türk-Nachbaur, who’d been an observer of the election.

(Nikolaus J. Kurmayer | EURACTIV.de)

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