Election days away, lines already forming
Güncelleme Tarihi:
by Betül Çal
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Mart 20, 2009 00:00
ANTALYA - Long queues snaked out of the Birth Registration Offices yesterday after a decision from the Supreme Election Committee, or YSK, meant to ease requirements for voting, was handed down Monday.
"The recent decision of the YSK seems to simplify the voting process," said Mehmet Hakan Kurt, local administrator of Şirinyalı district in Antalya.
The YSK decision enables voters to show a registered copy of a certificate of identity obtained from the Birth Registration Offices instead of providing an ID card with an ID number. "Before this decision, the citizens had to obtain a certificate from the local administrator, give two photos, then go to the Birth Registration Office and wait in queue for hours to change their ID cards with a new one that has an ID number," Kurt said.
"With this decision, citizens do not have to go to the neighborhood units. They can go directly to the Birth Registration Offices to get the certificate of identity register copy by showing their old ID cards. This not only simplifies the process but also shortens the period for the citizens to be able to vote."
Despite the simplification of the process, people still flocked to the Birth Registration Office.
"These long queues are a sign that democracy is still vital. Also, people are still excited and enthusiastic about voting in Turkey," said Mümtaz Soysal, a Turkish politician who served as foreign minister. Soysal said the YSK’s decision revealed that there were problems in the previous election and that they are trying to prevent them this time. "People should not be made to regret being a voter in Turkey," he said.
According to Fikri Sağlar, former Culture and Tourism Minister, most of those who have been waiting in queues are supporters of the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP. The main opposition Republican and People’s Party, or CHP, failed to be there for its supporters and their ID problems. The AKP, however, has worked hard, especially in small areas, to make its supporters get their new IDs, he said.
Those who waited in the long queues in Antalya yesterday complained about the procedure that made them suffer for hours. "As soon as I heard the decision of YSK this morning, I came to the Birth Registration Office to get my certificate of identity. I really hoped to see shorter queues in front of the office. But you see, the queue, I call it ’the queue of torture.’ It extended outside the office even at 10 am. I cannot think how long it will be towards the afternoon," said Neriman Uysal, 54, waiting for her turn at the queue.
A.G., who writes letters of application at a small price at his workbench in front of the Birth Registration Office, said he had been working there for a few days, and saw the hardships the citizens lived while waiting for their turns at the queues. "Although the length of the queue does not seem to be shortened with the decision of YSK, it flows more quickly since the process of giving this certificate takes much shorter."
Some young people waited instead of their older family members in the long queue to take certificates for them.
"The decision of YSK is a fully justified decision," said Ahmet Peribaş, a 37-year-old tourism worker. "I would have to take one day off to complete the necessary procedures to get my ID card changed before this decision. Now I do not have to go the other state units. All I need to do is to come to the Birth Registration Office and show my old ID card. This will not take more than one hour."
Participation rate
The citizens that the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review talked to generally seemed to agree that the decision of YSK would positively affect the participation rate to the local elections March 29. Hüseyin Özdilek, a 56-year-old retired high school teacher, said most people lack the energy and time to tackle all those long and complicated procedures to get their ID cards changed before election day.
"To be honest, it is not so difficult to predict the results of the elections. However, what is more important than the results is the participation of the citizens in the elections, in other words, their voting," said Özdilek. "The citizens, most of whom are unwilling to vote today because they are not hopeful about their future anymore, should not feel like the state is restraining them from voting. Instead, the state should push them to vote because it is one of the necessities of being a modern state, which protects the rights of its citizens, including the right to vote."
"The citizens want to vote. They do not want to deal with many obstacles just before election day. We want to show our reactions at the polls because we, the citizens, are not given any other option," said Ayşen Uğuralp, a local resident. For experts however, the number of voters may not increase as it is expected despite people’s attention to have their new ID cards. Recalling that 3.5 million voters out of 46 million do not have their identity numbers on their ID cards, Professor Özer Sencar, head of the Metropoll Research Center, said the queues do not seem to be that long. Although the queues mean that people take the election seriously, it does not necessarily mean that participation will be high, said Sencar.
The YSK decision enables voters to show a registered copy of a certificate of identity obtained from the Birth Registration Offices instead of providing an ID card with an ID number. "Before this decision, the citizens had to obtain a certificate from the local administrator, give two photos, then go to the Birth Registration Office and wait in queue for hours to change their ID cards with a new one that has an ID number," Kurt said.
"With this decision, citizens do not have to go to the neighborhood units. They can go directly to the Birth Registration Offices to get the certificate of identity register copy by showing their old ID cards. This not only simplifies the process but also shortens the period for the citizens to be able to vote."
Despite the simplification of the process, people still flocked to the Birth Registration Office.
"These long queues are a sign that democracy is still vital. Also, people are still excited and enthusiastic about voting in Turkey," said Mümtaz Soysal, a Turkish politician who served as foreign minister. Soysal said the YSK’s decision revealed that there were problems in the previous election and that they are trying to prevent them this time. "People should not be made to regret being a voter in Turkey," he said.
According to Fikri Sağlar, former Culture and Tourism Minister, most of those who have been waiting in queues are supporters of the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP. The main opposition Republican and People’s Party, or CHP, failed to be there for its supporters and their ID problems. The AKP, however, has worked hard, especially in small areas, to make its supporters get their new IDs, he said.
Those who waited in the long queues in Antalya yesterday complained about the procedure that made them suffer for hours. "As soon as I heard the decision of YSK this morning, I came to the Birth Registration Office to get my certificate of identity. I really hoped to see shorter queues in front of the office. But you see, the queue, I call it ’the queue of torture.’ It extended outside the office even at 10 am. I cannot think how long it will be towards the afternoon," said Neriman Uysal, 54, waiting for her turn at the queue.
A.G., who writes letters of application at a small price at his workbench in front of the Birth Registration Office, said he had been working there for a few days, and saw the hardships the citizens lived while waiting for their turns at the queues. "Although the length of the queue does not seem to be shortened with the decision of YSK, it flows more quickly since the process of giving this certificate takes much shorter."
Some young people waited instead of their older family members in the long queue to take certificates for them.
"The decision of YSK is a fully justified decision," said Ahmet Peribaş, a 37-year-old tourism worker. "I would have to take one day off to complete the necessary procedures to get my ID card changed before this decision. Now I do not have to go the other state units. All I need to do is to come to the Birth Registration Office and show my old ID card. This will not take more than one hour."
Participation rate
The citizens that the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review talked to generally seemed to agree that the decision of YSK would positively affect the participation rate to the local elections March 29. Hüseyin Özdilek, a 56-year-old retired high school teacher, said most people lack the energy and time to tackle all those long and complicated procedures to get their ID cards changed before election day.
"To be honest, it is not so difficult to predict the results of the elections. However, what is more important than the results is the participation of the citizens in the elections, in other words, their voting," said Özdilek. "The citizens, most of whom are unwilling to vote today because they are not hopeful about their future anymore, should not feel like the state is restraining them from voting. Instead, the state should push them to vote because it is one of the necessities of being a modern state, which protects the rights of its citizens, including the right to vote."
"The citizens want to vote. They do not want to deal with many obstacles just before election day. We want to show our reactions at the polls because we, the citizens, are not given any other option," said Ayşen Uğuralp, a local resident. For experts however, the number of voters may not increase as it is expected despite people’s attention to have their new ID cards. Recalling that 3.5 million voters out of 46 million do not have their identity numbers on their ID cards, Professor Özer Sencar, head of the Metropoll Research Center, said the queues do not seem to be that long. Although the queues mean that people take the election seriously, it does not necessarily mean that participation will be high, said Sencar.