Demokrasi Kazandi

5 days after the tentative coup d'etat of july 15th, I have crossed for one month Turkey from east to the centre, from north to south to the border with Syria, with local transportation. During one long entire month the AKP (The Justice and Development Party) organized every evenings and everywhere, rallys to celebrate the failure of the coup d'etat. The squares of Turkey were filled with people supporting President Erdogan. Starting from 06.00 pm all transportation services (buses, trains, metros, ferries) were free for everybody. The aim was to push the people to fill the street showing how the entire turkish population was in support of Erdogan.

 

During my trip I met very few western tourists, and many hotels and restaurants were empty or closed. This it was expecially in Cappadocia, in the south, and in the Kurdish regions .

Because of the Syrian war the problem was evident in the border regions with Syria. All those regions are supporting big economic losses, the regions were living with tourism  and no tourist were around.

 

Among the people I met, the opinions about Erdogan are various and conflicting. In the big cities like Istanbul, Ankara, Edirne, the students, the intellectuals, the bourgeoisie are supporter of Ataturk  secular thought. They strive  for the defence of acquired during and through  long time struggles rights . But all of them I met where against the putsch. The most part of turkish population is from the countryside, poor and with a strong islamic tradition, they feel themselves protected and recognized by the present government. This people is the majority of the population.

 

Other problem concerns the Kurds and the Armenians, there are not good relationship with the turkish government, they don't feel themselves integrated and according to the people I met they are not so enthusiastic supporter of Erdogan democracy.