The electoral game is open: the united front of the opposition could count on the support of the main Kurdish party. In response, the government coalition embraces the YRP and Huda-Par, two parties that barely garner 1% of the consensus. The electoral agreement includes the repeal of the law that punishes violence against women and minors. LGBTQ+ rights are also in the spotlight.
Istanbul () – Recep Tayyip Erdogan joins the (radical) Islamic wing with the aim of expanding his alliance and avoiding a defeat in the presidential elections on May 14 – especially in view of the new opposition alliance, which now he intends to attract the kurdish vote, . In recent days, two new political formations have allied with the government coalition: the New Welfare Party (YRP) and the Huda-Par. For the Popular Alliance, this marriage of interests could weaken the rights of women and minorities (in addition to Syrian refugees) and shift the axis of a future executive led by the AKP more and more to the right.
Analysts and experts agree that the presidential and legislative elections scheduled to take place in a few weeks appear to be the most uncertain and hard-fought in the last 20 years, in which the Justice and Development Party and its leader, Erdogan, dominated. Hence the “sultan” has chosen to include uncomfortable old allies, confirming a growing panic in government circles at the presence of an increasingly united opposition with supporters across the country.
The fact that the current president is courting two political formations that barely exceed 1% of the votes at the polls is not a sign of great health. However, the maneuver is in line with the progressive radicalization of Erdogan’s policies, marked by nationalism and islam. Fatih Erbakan, leader of the YRP, renewed in 2018 the party founded by his father in 1983 but maintained the religious and anti-secular line that had already inspired the Milli Gurus movement, well-rooted in the diaspora -especially in Europe, thanks to a wide network of schools and mosques. Recently, a member of the youth group sparked a bitter controversy when he stated that he expected Turkey to introduce sharia law “soon”.
Obviously, the support of extremist movements comes at a price: the two parties have filed at least 30 lawsuits, including the annulment of Law 6248 of 2012, which combats and punishes violence against women and children. An insane position, according to the lawyer Gokcecicek Ayata -interviewed by al-Monitor-considering that in Turkey at least three women are killed every day in episodes of domestic violence.
The fact marks that a “red line” has been crossed, as defined by even a part of the AKP, which in July 2021 -with the explicit support of its leader Erdogan- sanctioned the country’s withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention to prevent and combat gender violence and domestic violence. Another non-negotiable demand for the leader of the New Welfare Party is the closure of all associations and groups that defend LGTBQ+ rights or fight for equality in society. Our president,” explains a party note, “is extremely meticulous about it.”
Dilek Bulut, an activist with a left-wing feminist movement, says that any discussion of changes to Law 6284 would make women more vulnerable to abuse and harassment. “In an environment where violence and discrimination against women are increasing and becoming more brutal every day”, those who annulled the Istanbul Convention are now revealing their true faces by using Law 6284 as a subject of negotiation.”
