Holding both the general election and the local elections at the same time… To tell the truth, wanting and proposing this is eclipse of reason…
A faction within the UBP is proposing that the two elections be held on the same day in December and is reportedly insisting on it. This faction is reportedly first trying to convince their own colleagues within the party that holding the two elections together would be beneficial, and they’ve made considerable progress on this front. They’ll then roll up their sleeves to try to convince and persuade the public…
However, whether the public believes this or not is of little concern to them, because what they call ‘benefit’ is not actually ‘in the public interest’. They do whatever they’ve set their minds on, even if the public opposes it.
We call it a ‘eclipse of reason’, but in fact the proposal to hold the two elections together is a sort of operation to rescue the UBP; they’ve racked their brains over this and devised a strategy… It’s the result of a multi-faceted analysis…
Are you surprised? Many of the things they have done and which have drawn criticism are not in the public interest. On the contrary, for some time now, they have been carrying out so-called ‘measures’ that are causing distress amongst the public. The decision to hold two elections simultaneously is also a product of their own self-serving logic… Yet this is sheer madness…
Whilst the Supreme Election Council’s warnings regarding ‘mixed voting’ and ‘open lists’ are well known, and whilst the problems caused by open lists in the last general election have been recounted time and again, and whilst ‘rectifying this’ has been demanded time and again, just look at what they are now trying to do… The UBP wants to do the exact opposite of what has been requested.
It is not just the Supreme Election Council and the former and current Chiefs of Justice— who are warning us; anyone with common sense who can see the situation can recognise just how much trouble this “open list” issue causes, how many difficulties it creates, and is issuing warnings. Everyone can see this – is it only a certain faction within the UBP that cannot? However, the issue is not a failure to see the truth; the aim is to profit from the chaos… It is sheer audacity and disrespect on the part of the UBP, the government’s senior coalition partner, to disregard the facts and play into the chaos.
Whilst the current general election system is causing problems and turning into a torture for voters, just imagine if this were to be held alongside local elections. It would be utter chaos; voting would take ages, there would be more mistakes, many voters’ ballots would be declared invalid, and it would take days to announce all the election results. But what else can you expect from a mindset that thrives on chaos?
UBP officials claim that holding the two elections simultaneously will lead to savings and boost turnout. A party that has never made savings during any of its terms in government—nor been able to do so, nor even bothered to try, and which has in fact become synonymous with waste and the partisan distribution of state resources—is now taking refuge behind the pretext of ‘savings’ when it suits them. What exactly do you mean by ‘cost-saving’, I wonder? Did you really think you could find enough election officials for an election that would take hours, or even days, to count? Do you really believe that two elections could be held simultaneously with the usual number of officials? Who, in your opinion, would want to endure such an ordeal?
The claim that voter turnout will increase is also incorrect. On the contrary, many people, thinking they will have to deal with five different ballot papers to elect MPs, mayors, local councillors, mukhtars and azas (village or neighbourhood council members) – and not wanting to endure this ordeal – will not go to vote; and those who do go will become bored and frustrated whilst waiting for their turn due to the lengthy voting process, and will walk away without casting a vote. Indeed, some voters will become so overwhelmed whilst casting their vote that they will abandon the process halfway through.
Moreover, many people have concerns about the ‘security of the election’. There are fears that, during a lengthy vote count, the risk of errors made by tired staff will increase. It is also suggested that, in situations where the process drags on, spills over into the next day, or requires breaks due to fatigue, there may be those seeking to exploit the ballot boxes; that transparency could be compromised; and that a murky atmosphere might be created. The Supreme Election Council will undoubtedly ensure the security of the ballot boxes and votes through the measures it takes, but the mere fact that the possibility of a breach in ballot box security crosses people’s minds will, psychologically, deter them from going to the polls.
Of course, none of this matters to the UBP officials. They can see that public support for them is waning. In every election, they use state resources to hand out favours, and now their task is more difficult; they need to offer even more electoral bribes. It is said that they will hire over 200 people on a partisan basis. Distributing favours separately for two elections will be difficult for them. That is why they want to hand out election bribes just once for both elections.
Moreover, they believe that the chaos that will ensue will work in their favour, and that a drop in voter turnout will also be to their advantage. UBP members reckon that the other parties outside the two major parties – particularly those on the right who appeal to a similar electorate – will struggle to field both a sufficient number of ‘parliamentary candidates’ and candidates for ‘mayor’ and ‘councillor’ on the ballot papers at the same time; they expect these parties to face concentration issues whilst grappling with these problems.
As you know, some parties field the same candidates in both local and general elections in order to fill the required number of candidates on the ballot papers. However, this will be impossible if the two elections are held on the same day. UBP members are well aware of this and are seeking to gain an advantage from the situation.
Incidentally, they also reckon to use successful UBP mayors for propaganda purposes in order to cover up the government’s failures…
What I’m trying to say is that holding the two elections together is a sort of rescue plan for the UBP, which has lost the support of the people. At the very least, they are hoping to minimise their losses somewhat. We cannot say whether this strategy will work, but it is wrong to bring the whole of society to its knees for the sake of ‘party interests’. What they are attempting to do is disrespectful to the people and their political rivals.
Meanwhile, the DP and the YDP are reportedly opposed to both elections being held on the same day. They are said to want the general election to take place in October… If these two parties are genuinely opposed and claim that ‘the two elections cannot be held together’, their stance must not remain mere rhetoric. These two parties have a combined total of four MPs (their number has fallen from five to four following Hasan Tosunoğlu’s resignation from the DP). The CTP has 18 MPs… There are also 4 independent MPs. Adding these together gives a total of 26. This means that, unless the UBP secures support from the independents (three of whom are definitely not going to support it), it will not be able to muster the necessary majority in parliament to pass the legislative amendment required to hold the two elections on the same day.
However, the DP and the YDP have zigzagged so much on so many issues, and done so many things they said they ‘wouldn’t do’, that one simply cannot trust them. If the DP and the YDP, who are in the position of the boy who cried wolf, were to stand firm, the two elections could not be held together, and these debates would become pointless. So, do you trust the DP and the YDP? I don’t know about you, but I certainly don’t… Prime Minister Ünal Üstel has been saying for months that there would be no early election, and that the general election would take place in December or January. Why didn’t you speak up then, and why are you now saying, ‘Let the general election be held in October’? I don’t trust them at all, but hopefully they’ll surprise me this time…
Source: ALI BATURAY WROTE: IF DP AND YDP ARE TRULY OPPOSED, THE TWO ELECTIONS CANNOT BE HELD TOGETHER…
