海角大神

As Turkey gears up for election, hostility at the vegetable tent

Despite the morning chill, the Turkish shoppers began lining up to buy state-subsidized vegetables two hours early 鈥� and one month before they vote in municipal elections that could see the ruling party pummeled over Turkey鈥檚 economic crisis.

There is little hostility, at first, when the ad-hoc market opens: Those in line are happy to be there, they say, to buy tomatoes, onions, chickpeas, and potatoes at a fraction of the usual market price.

The marquee canvas tent in the 脺sk眉dar district of Istanbul is like scores set up across the country 鈥� one of several pre-election measures to ease the financial stress on Turkish families announced by President Recep Tayyip Erdo臒an and his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

Inside, where workers bag and weigh produce, banners hang, reading: 鈥淎n all-out struggle against inflation,鈥� with the hashtag: #turkeywillwin.

But the cut-price vegetable sale soon took on broader aspects of the election campaign, in which Mr. Erdo臒an鈥檚 combative rhetoric targets 鈥渢raitors鈥� and claims that Turkey is under attack from manipulative foreign powers and price-gouging middlemen. According to Erdo臒an the nation鈥檚 very 鈥渟urvival鈥� is at stake.

鈥淭hey are spies! They are foreign agents!鈥� shouts one thickly jacketed man in the line, when an American reporter and his translator begin asking questions. 鈥淭hey are the ones that started all this in the first place!鈥�

Not all the Turks there agree, and some are willing to speak.

鈥淚t鈥檚 really crowded, it鈥檚 always crowded,鈥� says Hakan, an official salesman wearing blue rubber gloves and a warm black hat as he prepares sacks of spinach. 鈥淭hanks to the prime minister and president.... It鈥檚 helping people who need it, so the people are really happy 鈥� it鈥檚 a great service.鈥�

鈥淚f it鈥檚 not good for us, why would we be here?鈥� asks one man in line who gives the name Kenan. Someone else suggests the visitors had 鈥渃ome from America鈥� to create 鈥減ropaganda鈥� for the main opposition party.

Declining support for AKP

It鈥檚 a touchy time for shoppers at the AKP-organized tent.

During its 17 years at the top of Turkish politics, the AKP and its powerful grassroots machine 鈥� led by the charismatic Erdo臒an 鈥� have won nearly every election in their path.

But the AKP lost its majority in last year鈥檚 parliamentary election, and some polls show AKP support as low as 30 percent as the March 31 municipal vote looms.

Adding to the AKP鈥檚 challenge, Turkey鈥檚 economy has been battered in recent years, with the currency losing one quarter of its value in 2018 alone. And there are reportedly preparations among former AKP big shots to form a new, breakaway party if the AKP does poorly at the polls.

鈥淭his is not a poverty line 鈥撀爄t鈥檚 not for poor folks,鈥� asserts Kenan, as he details how much cheaper vegetables are here. 鈥淲e鈥檙e on the side of the government, and we always are.... This is a measure for the public good.鈥�

One woman in line is not so charitable: 鈥淧eople are hungry, this is obvious. So why are you asking?鈥� she said.

Within minutes, a security guard approaches, demanding that the reporter leave, and saying that the people in line were threatening to call the police if he does not.

鈥楢ll to get votes鈥�

A teashop owner in the same district states what no one in the vegetable line would articulate: 鈥淭hese [vegetable tents] are all for the elections, it鈥檚 all to get votes,鈥� says Fatih, who asks that only his first name be used. 鈥淭hey are all just pre-election tricks to get the people鈥檚 vote.鈥�

And it鈥檚 working, he says, just as it did during the June 2018 election, in which a bare majority 鈥撀爅ust over 52 percent 鈥撀爂ave Erdo臒an unprecedented new powers. It was a lackluster result, after months of intense AKP campaigning, and vast payouts to retirees and other tactics that added up to $5.5 billion in new spending.

Analysts at the time said Erdo臒an had moved that election forward by 18 months to avoid the negative fallout from an anticipated financial crunch. That crisis has since descended, with 20 percent inflation, a surge in food prices, and growing unemployment and bankruptcies. As聽recession looms, election promises from the AKP include creating 2.5 million new jobs in 2019.

鈥淵ou have a lot of people say they will not vote for the AKP, but these people [the AKP] can bring the dead back to life,鈥� says Fatih. 鈥淥ne way or another, they will get the votes.鈥�

For weeks already, Erdo臒an has raised the stakes by tirelessly holding at least two campaign rallies a day in different cities, reminding the AKP base in granular detail about everything that has been done for them, from the smallest local services to nation-building big infrastructure projects.

鈥楨conomic assassination鈥�

An increasingly strident part of Erdo臒an鈥檚 message is that all the AKP鈥檚 progress has been made despite powerful enemies, at home and abroad. He likened price gougers to 鈥渢errorists.鈥�

鈥淭he prices of vegetables were rising abnormally. It was manipulation. It was economic assassination. We couldn鈥檛 wait,鈥� Erdo臒an said in a television interview on Feb. 26. 鈥淲hen you have these middlemen raising prices, it鈥檚 the state鈥檚 job to get rid of them.... We won鈥檛 let our people get exploited.鈥�

The leader of Turkey, a聽NATO ally, has also accused the US and the European Union of trying to destabilize the country. Turkey had for six years been under 鈥渕ulti-pronged attacks more than ever before; none of these was a coincidence,鈥� Erdo臒an said at a rally last week in eastern Turkey.

But some blame the AKP for mismanagement, like electrical shop owner Yilmaz. He voted twice for the AKP and now 鈥渞eally regrets鈥� that he did. His customers in dire straights bargain over the price of a single light bulb, and he has 鈥済iven up making a profit.鈥� He says he won鈥檛 get married or have children because 鈥淚 don鈥檛 see a future.鈥�

鈥淵ou know what hope is? New blood 鈥� this government has to go,鈥� says Yilmaz. 鈥淣ew people, no matter how bad, are better. The system today is only working for itself. They [the AKP] are treating people as fools.鈥�

Beside the vegetable sale points in a half dozen cities 鈥� which in recent days expanded to include legumes, rice, and other staples 鈥� Erdo臒an in January vowed that the state would pay a portion of electricity bills, and introduced relief from credit card debt at state-run banks.

The opposition newspaper S枚zc眉 echoed other critics, calling the moves an 鈥渆lection bribe.鈥�

鈥淣obody asks why these people cannot pay their debts. Nobody produces a long-term solution,鈥� columnist Murat Murato臒lu wrote, in a translation by the Al-Monitor website. 鈥淣ow the election is coming, and if [the government] doesn鈥檛 distribute money, it will be buried in the ballot boxes.鈥�

Green grocers struggling

But not everyone is happy about the vegetable fire sale, top among them Turkey鈥檚 produce retailers. AKP officials speak triumphantly about how prices have now dropped at big chain stores, but also hit are corner shops, where green grocers are struggling. Across the market all are selling at a loss, according to news reports.

鈥淚f this continues, we are done for,鈥� says Metin Fincan, the owner for 23 years of a tiny vegetable kiosk, whose prices 鈥� already reduced 鈥� are double those at the sale tents.

鈥淧eople ask, 鈥榃hy is it so expensive? Why are you selling tomatoes for 6 liras [$1.14] a kilogram?鈥欌�� he says. Mr. Fincan was once able to sell 10 boxes of tomatoes in two days, but now can鈥檛 sell five boxes in four days.

鈥淭here are thousands of us [green grocers], but millions of them buying cheaper vegetables,鈥� he says, surmising the AKP vote calculation, and adding that Turks easily fall prey to such tactics at election time.

鈥淚n the [2018] election the AKP thought they would take a hit, so they gave something to retirees,鈥� says Fincan. 鈥淭his time they must have looked at the polls and come up with this.鈥�