In theory, there is a lot at stake in this election. In particular, the Government and the opposition are fighting over the largest cities, Istanbul and Ankara, which the opposition has ruled since 2019, but which President Erdogan hopes to recover on Sunday, March 31. However, the campaign in recent weeks has lacked momentum.
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By Anne Andlauer, RFI correspondent in Istanbul
In Turkey, this is possibly the flattest and least enthusiastic campaign in the last 15 years, if not longer. And yet, each side has much to lose or gain in the battle. But on the part of political leaders, voters, and sometimes even the candidates themselves, there is a sense of fatigue, a lack of enthusiasm or inspiration, and a desire for the elections to be over.
Both at the national level and in the big cities – since they are the most visible levels of this campaign, which concerns both Istanbul and its 16 million inhabitants and the smallest town in Anatolia – no image, no slogan, no speech has left a mark
Campaigns that lack oomph
On the part of the Government, President Erdogan was certainly involved in the campaign, but less than in previous municipal elections. No promises of grandiose projects, no strategy of excessive polarization like during his presidential campaign last year. Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his candidates were mostly content to describe their opponents as corrupt incompetents and present themselves as the only ones capable of properly managing cities.
Read alsoElections in Türkiye: Yeniden Refah, the ultra-conservative party that worries Erdogan
On the opposition side, even for the mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, who is risking his reelection and undoubtedly his political future, he is far from the lively campaign of 2019, with his famous slogan “Everything will be fine.” This time, the mayor defends his balance and hopes to keep his seat despite a problem: unlike 2019, he does not have the support of an alliance of opposition parties, but of his only party, the Social Democrats. CHP.
Tired voters and a disillusioned opposition
This electoral fatigue affects voters and is felt in daily life. For example, the elections are far from monopolizing conversations, and there are fewer supporters at political rallies than in previous elections. President Erdogan complained about this last weekend in Istanbul, when he said from the podium: “We were used to a million and a half people, but now I have 650,000 in front of me.”
So why is this municipal campaign so lacking in momentum and interest? No doubt because Türkiye has experienced many campaigns in recent years. This is the ninth in ten years, or even the tenth if we count the last municipal elections in Istanbul, which were held twice, in March and June 2019. There is a fatigue effect. The Turks also have other priorities, starting with their purchasing power, which has been plummeting for two years.
And for opposition voters, the shock of defeat in last year's presidential and parliamentary elections is still fresh in their minds. Many firmly believed that the united opposition would ultimately defeat Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the polls. Today, it is a disunited and disillusioned opposition that is presented to the electorate.
Surprisingly, to find some enthusiasm, you have to turn to the Islamist party Yeniden Refah. Born in 2018, but heir to a long tradition of Turkish political Islam, this party is on the rise. It claims to have gained more than 230,000 members since last year – many of them voters disappointed with Recep Tayyip Erdogan – and is presenting its own candidates for the first time. These candidates, motivated by the desire to prove themselves, have run a remarkable campaign and are eagerly awaiting Sunday's vote.
