What is Going on in Türkiye Must Be Spoken About More

<https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/> via FreeMalaysiaToday.com

In Türkiye, the current president is Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, a member of the AKP Party. He served as the prime minister from 2003 to 2014, and then became president from 2014 - present. His presidency has been marked by many scandals and economic turmoil. Consequently, Erdoğan has received less and less support in each subsequent presidential election. With support for Erdoğan waning, members of the rival CHP party have gotten more support. One of the most prominent members of the CHP party is Ekrem İmamoğlu, the current mayor of Istanbul, the most populated city in Turkiye. On March 19th  İmamoğlu was arrested for supposed corruption, bribery, and other things. This arrest came the day İmamoğlu was nominated by CHP to run for president which is suspicious timing.

Erdoğan is one of the most polarizing figures in the world, with half of the country adoring him, and the other half seeing him as a ruthless dictator similar to Kim Jong Un or Vladimir Putin. He first formed the AKP party in 2001, with the party being heavily affiliated with Islam. In 2016 there was a large-scale coup in the country which led to the death of 300, the firing of 150,000 public servants, and 50,000 arrests under Erdoğan’s rule. Under his rule, there has also been a crackdown on people who try to oppose his leadership, as his government is swift to arrest people who criticize his ruling.

İmamoğlu is a very well-liked politician in Istanbul and is described as incredibly charismatic and able to connect with the people well. He won two political races to earn the role of Mayor of Istanbul, most recently in 2024 which was referred to as "Erdoğan's worst defeat ever". In a land of many harsh spoken leaders, the people of Türkiye have taken a liking to İmamoğlu’s softer spirit. CHP, which is a predominantly secular and left-wing party, has been put in the back seat for the AKP party for the most part of the 21st century. However, İmamoğlu has incorporated Islam in his campaign and policies which has earned him respect from moderates in Türkiye and is one of the large reasons for his rise to power. His success as mayor and his overall popularity have led to large-scale demonstrations protesting his arrest, as many believe the arrest is simply an excuse for Erdoğan and the AKP to keep power in Türkiye.

Every night since his arrest, protestors have crowded the streets of every major city in Türkiye protesting the harsh and unfair arrest of İmamoğlu. In response, the police have used tear gas and pepper spray on innocent civilians who are non violently protesting. There are even water cannon trucks being used in protests. In addition, 700 accounts on the social platform “X” have been ordered to be closed by the Turkish government in a further attempt to crack down on Turkish people using their voices. Over 1,000 people have been arrested as of March 24th, and it is a shame to see how the Turkish government has chosen to deal with the protests with violence.

Despite being a supposed democracy, the ruling AKP party has chosen to rule Türkiye as a dictatorship. Opposition politicians get arrested, people who protest are placed in jail, and people who speak out against the government are also put in jail. İmamoğlu and the CHP party have vowed to fight against the dictator-like rule of the country, and they must do so, as the rights of millions of Turkish citizens are threatened by the rule of Erdoğan.