Election bribery...

Since the middle of last summer municipalities headed by mayors from the Justice and Development Party, or AKP, of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the Prime Ministry and the Social Assistance and Solidarity Foundation, or the so called Fak-Fuk Fon, have been distributing tons of free and low calorie coal. The principal address of the coal distribution was the suburbs of the cities, but many people were shocked when while they were roasting under the August sun they saw piles of coal sacks dropped in front of their luxurious sea-side summer villas. That was indeed how the massive "coal-ization" campaign of the AKP hit the headlines last summer.

The coal distribution continued despite criticisms of the opposition parties as well as the media. The AKP government not only refused to stop the massive coal distribution campaign, but it as well ordered the governors "to deliver coal sacks themselves to the door of the citizens," because the era of state serving the nation has started. Though after this order of the prime minister we could not see governors shoveling coal, but we observed governors supervising the coal distribution described by the government as a requirement of social state dictate of the Constitution.

The opposition parties and critics in the media stressed right after the start of the coal distribution campaign that in the name of fulfilling "social state" responsibilities ordered by the Constitution, the AKP government not only has been violating the election laws with such election bribery but also has been nourishing a culture of begging in the country. Critics were stressing as well that while assisting needy citizens could be considered as a requirement of the social state, for the fulfillment of social state order of the Constitution administrations are required to administer the country economically and politically well, generate jobs and enable the citizens of the country lead a decent living they finance with their earnings rather than trying to make the end of the day with donations from the municipalities, the Prime Ministry or the Social Assistance and Solidarity Fund, or the Fak-Fuk fund.

As if to demonstrate the opposition and the critics in the media that the AKP cannot be deterred with such criticisms, the government added packages containing sacks of sugar, cereals as well as gallons of oil to their "social state" or "convert the nation into a beggar society" program.

Election board did not do its duty for months

While Higher Election Board remained a spectator to this massive election bribery program of the ruling AKP, Prime Minister Erdoğan decided to add some new more items to the state-funded alms distributed by the AKP municipalities, the Prime Ministry and the Fak-Fuk fund. First, he decided that distributing coal was not enough. People might not have stoves to burn that coal and heat up their houses. Thus, he appeared in front of cameras one day, defended the coal and foodstuff package distribution campaign saying the Turkish state was a social state, would take care of its needy people and if in these winter days there was need to distribute stoves to the needy to burn and heat themselves up with the donated coal, the government would do that as well.

Was that enough? No! The prime minister had some other bright ideas to enhance the state-sponsored alms. Starting from a Tunceli town in the Southeast, from where the AKP could not send anyone to Parliament, the government started distributing household appliances, mattresses, couches and you name what else.

Now the Higher Election Board has finally woke up and declared that buying votes of people with such "gifts" was a crime under the laws and that not only it will report to the prosecutor’s office the crime committed with the distribution of alms but it will have an eye on such activities from now on. Though it came so late, so nice to see the board woke up and said "stop" this vote buying campaign financed from our tax money.