An election campaign as spicy as Adana food
Güncelleme Tarihi:
by Barçın Yinanç
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Mart 20, 2009 00:00
ADANA-Adana is one of the most interesting cities as far as local elections are concerned because the outcome is open to surprises. It will also be a test case to see what comes first for voters: the candidate or the party. The city’s incumbent mayor is running for the fifth time at 71, this time on the MHP ticket
Entering his office in the municipality last Friday, Adana Mayor Aytaç Durak looked at ease rather than upset. Under normal circumstances, he had reason to be furious. He had just returned from a news conference he held following the attempt to stop the broadcasting of Çukurova TV, a major propaganda tool for Durak, owned by his son.
Officials from Turkey’s television watchdog, the Radio and Television Supreme Council, or RTÜK, came to stop the broadcastings of the TV channel, claiming that it has been broadcasting from an unauthorized frequency.
"Residents of Adana have a rebellious character. They will react to such bullying," he told Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review in an interview, a few hours after the incident with RTÜK, confident that the pressure from the government will only boost support among his constituency.
The attempt to black out his television channel is seen to be the latest in a series of efforts to exert pressure on Durak, who has decided to run for the fifth time for the municipality, despite objection from the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, of which he was a member until recently. At 71, he has been the mayor of Adana for nearly two decades.
When he won the municipal elections in 1984, he was a member of the late President Turgut Özal’s Motherland Party. He lost the elections five years later to a Republican People’s Party, or CHP, candidate. He won in 1994 and 1999 as a member of the True Path Party. In 2004 he again changed his party and ran on the AKP’s ticket.
This time around he is not making an exception. He has changed his party and decided to run for the Nationalist Movement Party, or MHP.
The AKP did not want to continue with him. He never let the municipality become the stronghold of the AKP, said members of the local press, asking to remain anonymous.
"This door is closed to cronies," said Durak, in his office, which compared to other municipalities looked empty.
"He is, in a way, above political parties. For years he has been working with the same people. An official who was appointed under the CHP administration still maintains his job in the municipality," a journalist said.
A figure above political parties
The view that he is above political parties seems to be shared by ordinary people on the street. "The mayor from Seyhan, one of the districts making up Adana, invited Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for an opening ceremony. Being from the AKP, he wanted to have a big gathering in Adana to impress the prime minister," said taxi driver Mehmet Demir, 53. "Durak was indifferent, and the turnout was so low that I believe the prime minister got really angry at the mayor. The ruling party withdrew its support for Durak."
This is precisely what makes Adana so interesting in this year’s local elections, not only because the outcome might be open to surprises, but also because it will be a test of voter behavior: What comes first Ğ party or candidate?
From ordinary people to political observers, everybody agrees that Durak’s biggest advantage is the fact that everyone in the city knows him, whereas his biggest disadvantage is that he no longer enjoys the backing of the government. The latest point might be important in voter behavior in a country like Turkey, where the general belief is that a successful local administration requires the backing of the central administration, namely the ruling party. In fact some of the ministers of the ruling party have openly said that unless people vote for the ruling party, their municipality would not receive proper public service.
"Those in Ankara do not know me," said Durak in clear defiance when asked why the residents of Adana should vote for him. "I have huge experience. I know the rules and regulations. I have worked with only two members in municipal councils," he said.
The AKP and certainly Erdoğan do not underestimate him. In a recent rally in the city, instead of targeting political parties as he does in other cities, Erdoğan slammed Durak directly.
According to Erdoğan, Durak promised to run for the last time in 2004, a claim that Durak denies, adding that the ruling party has been targeting him ever since he decided to go his separate way from the AKP. Pro-government newspapers have reported that he has become ultra-rich over the years. In fact, the Prime Ministry’s Public Officials Ethic Committee has ruled that a decision by the municipality that benefited Durak’s wife’s real estate was unethical.
But to some, the AKP’s slamming of Durak is also unethical. "It is meaningful that for the past four years, the AKP has been silent on Durak. The party started criticizing his performance only after they decided to go separate ways," said journalist Şükrü Küçükşahin, who writes for daily Hürriyet. In the city, no one denies that Durak has become very rich over the years. The main accusation against him is that he acquired land in the north of the city and encouraged the city to develop northward.
Actually the city seems to be divided in two, in what locals call new Adana and old Adana. The former has what the critics call "cement towers," as it has become a residential area with tall buildings. For a newly designed part of the city, it still looks disorganized and lacks aesthetics, as the number of green areas is relatively small. Yet Durak gets credit for new Adana. "For the locals of Adana who have never been outside the city, who have never visited a city with proper urban planning, of course he will get credit," said a prominent businessman, who asked not to be identified.
Durak is also criticized for having ignored the southern part of the city, which for years has not seen much investment and lacks proper infrastructure. Yet a quick tour in the Hürriyet neighborhood in south Adana reveals that those living in the south are not that critical of Durak.
"He will win the elections," said Bülent Bozkurt, 34. "He is the only one who works."
The low cost of bread and cheap transportation seem to be Durak’s greatest asset as far as low-income Adana residents are concerned. No one seems to be resentful about allegations that he has become extremely rich over the years. "Whoever gets this job will become rich from it. If they win, the other candidates will do the same," said İsmail Demir, a butcher in Hürriyet neighborhood, as he gives 2 Turkish Liras worth of meat to his client. Demir is a social democrat and voted for the CHP during the general elections. He is now critical of the CHP and is undecided about the local elections because he is unsure about the CHP’s candidate.
Durak’s decision to run on the MHP’s ticket has led to a wave of enthusiasm among Adana’s social democrats. The division of votes between the AKP and the MHP has raised hopes that the CHP stands a serious chance of winning the elections.
But the CHP might have missed this chance when it decided to withdraw its initial candidate Soner Çetin last month and replaced him with Özgümüş, who is the president of Adana Industry Chamber. "This seems to have created resentment among CHP supporters, and there is a kind of disorganization within the party’s local branch," said journalist Küçükşahin, who recently visited the city.
As Özgümüş was visiting small shops in the Hürriyet neighborhood last Friday, it was difficult to discern a feeling of enthusiasm among the residents. The only time he raised an air of enthusiasm is when he responded to a question about the İncirlik airbase. "It should be closed even if it contributes to the towns’ shopkeepers. We should overcome the American yoke," he said.
Tangible projects
"It is a great opportunity for the social democrats to have Özgümüş as the CHP’s candidate," said Ferdane Bayıldıran, president of the Adana Businesswomen Association. "Social democrat candidates are rather fond of cultural matters whereas Özgümüş is a man who means business."
Özgümüş said he stands a big chance of winning the elections because none of his rivals has tangible projects. "Durak won in the past because he always had the backing of the ruling party. Now he does not have that," he said. How about the candidate who now enjoys the backing of the AKP? "He was a parliamentarian. What did he do for Adana when he was in Parliament?" Özgümüş asked about Mehmet Ali Bilici.
As much as there is a consensus that Durak is the leading contender in the elections, views differ on who will be his main rival Ğ Özgümüş or Bilici. For some the race will be between Durak and Özgümüş because, they say, conservatives’ votes will be divided to the benefit of Özgümüş.
"Wherever Erdoğan goes, I will go with him," said Veysel Şahin, who, despite being unemployed for a year, still does not blame the government for the crisis. "There is crisis everywhere. The whole world is in crisis," he said, adding that despite being unemployed he and his wife, who both suffer from health problems, were able to get proper health care, thanks to the procedures put in place by the government.
Officials from Turkey’s television watchdog, the Radio and Television Supreme Council, or RTÜK, came to stop the broadcastings of the TV channel, claiming that it has been broadcasting from an unauthorized frequency.
"Residents of Adana have a rebellious character. They will react to such bullying," he told Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review in an interview, a few hours after the incident with RTÜK, confident that the pressure from the government will only boost support among his constituency.
The attempt to black out his television channel is seen to be the latest in a series of efforts to exert pressure on Durak, who has decided to run for the fifth time for the municipality, despite objection from the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, of which he was a member until recently. At 71, he has been the mayor of Adana for nearly two decades.
When he won the municipal elections in 1984, he was a member of the late President Turgut Özal’s Motherland Party. He lost the elections five years later to a Republican People’s Party, or CHP, candidate. He won in 1994 and 1999 as a member of the True Path Party. In 2004 he again changed his party and ran on the AKP’s ticket.
This time around he is not making an exception. He has changed his party and decided to run for the Nationalist Movement Party, or MHP.
The AKP did not want to continue with him. He never let the municipality become the stronghold of the AKP, said members of the local press, asking to remain anonymous.
"This door is closed to cronies," said Durak, in his office, which compared to other municipalities looked empty.
"He is, in a way, above political parties. For years he has been working with the same people. An official who was appointed under the CHP administration still maintains his job in the municipality," a journalist said.
A figure above political parties
The view that he is above political parties seems to be shared by ordinary people on the street. "The mayor from Seyhan, one of the districts making up Adana, invited Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for an opening ceremony. Being from the AKP, he wanted to have a big gathering in Adana to impress the prime minister," said taxi driver Mehmet Demir, 53. "Durak was indifferent, and the turnout was so low that I believe the prime minister got really angry at the mayor. The ruling party withdrew its support for Durak."
This is precisely what makes Adana so interesting in this year’s local elections, not only because the outcome might be open to surprises, but also because it will be a test of voter behavior: What comes first Ğ party or candidate?
From ordinary people to political observers, everybody agrees that Durak’s biggest advantage is the fact that everyone in the city knows him, whereas his biggest disadvantage is that he no longer enjoys the backing of the government. The latest point might be important in voter behavior in a country like Turkey, where the general belief is that a successful local administration requires the backing of the central administration, namely the ruling party. In fact some of the ministers of the ruling party have openly said that unless people vote for the ruling party, their municipality would not receive proper public service.
"Those in Ankara do not know me," said Durak in clear defiance when asked why the residents of Adana should vote for him. "I have huge experience. I know the rules and regulations. I have worked with only two members in municipal councils," he said.
The AKP and certainly Erdoğan do not underestimate him. In a recent rally in the city, instead of targeting political parties as he does in other cities, Erdoğan slammed Durak directly.
According to Erdoğan, Durak promised to run for the last time in 2004, a claim that Durak denies, adding that the ruling party has been targeting him ever since he decided to go his separate way from the AKP. Pro-government newspapers have reported that he has become ultra-rich over the years. In fact, the Prime Ministry’s Public Officials Ethic Committee has ruled that a decision by the municipality that benefited Durak’s wife’s real estate was unethical.
But to some, the AKP’s slamming of Durak is also unethical. "It is meaningful that for the past four years, the AKP has been silent on Durak. The party started criticizing his performance only after they decided to go separate ways," said journalist Şükrü Küçükşahin, who writes for daily Hürriyet. In the city, no one denies that Durak has become very rich over the years. The main accusation against him is that he acquired land in the north of the city and encouraged the city to develop northward.
Actually the city seems to be divided in two, in what locals call new Adana and old Adana. The former has what the critics call "cement towers," as it has become a residential area with tall buildings. For a newly designed part of the city, it still looks disorganized and lacks aesthetics, as the number of green areas is relatively small. Yet Durak gets credit for new Adana. "For the locals of Adana who have never been outside the city, who have never visited a city with proper urban planning, of course he will get credit," said a prominent businessman, who asked not to be identified.
Durak is also criticized for having ignored the southern part of the city, which for years has not seen much investment and lacks proper infrastructure. Yet a quick tour in the Hürriyet neighborhood in south Adana reveals that those living in the south are not that critical of Durak.
"He will win the elections," said Bülent Bozkurt, 34. "He is the only one who works."
The low cost of bread and cheap transportation seem to be Durak’s greatest asset as far as low-income Adana residents are concerned. No one seems to be resentful about allegations that he has become extremely rich over the years. "Whoever gets this job will become rich from it. If they win, the other candidates will do the same," said İsmail Demir, a butcher in Hürriyet neighborhood, as he gives 2 Turkish Liras worth of meat to his client. Demir is a social democrat and voted for the CHP during the general elections. He is now critical of the CHP and is undecided about the local elections because he is unsure about the CHP’s candidate.
Durak’s decision to run on the MHP’s ticket has led to a wave of enthusiasm among Adana’s social democrats. The division of votes between the AKP and the MHP has raised hopes that the CHP stands a serious chance of winning the elections.
But the CHP might have missed this chance when it decided to withdraw its initial candidate Soner Çetin last month and replaced him with Özgümüş, who is the president of Adana Industry Chamber. "This seems to have created resentment among CHP supporters, and there is a kind of disorganization within the party’s local branch," said journalist Küçükşahin, who recently visited the city.
As Özgümüş was visiting small shops in the Hürriyet neighborhood last Friday, it was difficult to discern a feeling of enthusiasm among the residents. The only time he raised an air of enthusiasm is when he responded to a question about the İncirlik airbase. "It should be closed even if it contributes to the towns’ shopkeepers. We should overcome the American yoke," he said.
Tangible projects
"It is a great opportunity for the social democrats to have Özgümüş as the CHP’s candidate," said Ferdane Bayıldıran, president of the Adana Businesswomen Association. "Social democrat candidates are rather fond of cultural matters whereas Özgümüş is a man who means business."
Özgümüş said he stands a big chance of winning the elections because none of his rivals has tangible projects. "Durak won in the past because he always had the backing of the ruling party. Now he does not have that," he said. How about the candidate who now enjoys the backing of the AKP? "He was a parliamentarian. What did he do for Adana when he was in Parliament?" Özgümüş asked about Mehmet Ali Bilici.
As much as there is a consensus that Durak is the leading contender in the elections, views differ on who will be his main rival Ğ Özgümüş or Bilici. For some the race will be between Durak and Özgümüş because, they say, conservatives’ votes will be divided to the benefit of Özgümüş.
"Wherever Erdoğan goes, I will go with him," said Veysel Şahin, who, despite being unemployed for a year, still does not blame the government for the crisis. "There is crisis everywhere. The whole world is in crisis," he said, adding that despite being unemployed he and his wife, who both suffer from health problems, were able to get proper health care, thanks to the procedures put in place by the government.