Turks cut short holidays to throng polling stations
ANKARA: The normally sleepy street in Ankara's upmarket Gazi Osman Pasa district on Sunday was packed with cars and people heading for the polling station in a neighbourhood high school.
Voters had begun queuing up an hour before the doors opened at 8:00 am (0500 GMT) to be among the first to cast their ballots in the country's key legislative election — partly to avoid the sweltering heat by midday when temperatures hit 40 degrees Celsius in the Turkish capital.
Another reason for the early rush, as many cars packed with luggage and passengers wearing shorts and flip-flops testified, some wanted to head straight for their holiday destinations right after voting.
At the same time, tens of thousands of Turks interrupted their vacations on the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts to return home to vote, as airline and bus companies organised extra runs to meet the demand.
Media reports said some 11 million people travelled across the country in recent days to return to their voting districts and predicted voter turnout would swell to more than 90 per cent.
Sunday's legislative polls, which most opinion surveys say the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) should easily win, have polarised Turks in the mainly Muslim country over how their fiercely-guarded secular governmental system and Islam should co-exist.
In Ankara’s Kirkkonaklar neighbourhood, where newly built modern buildings rise among shanty houses perched on rocky hills, and luxury jeeps bump along potholed streets, there were diverse opinions about the choices before voters.
AKP supporters hailed the impressive economic progress achieved by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government and dismissed accusations that his conservative party, which has disowned its Islamist roots and embraced Turkey's bid to join the European Union, is a threat to the secular system.
“My vote goes for stability,” said Sefika Guzgun, a 38-year-old real estate agent, wearing a colourful headscarf and a long coat despite the scorching sun.
“I want a Turkey that is economically strong, a Turkey where everybody is free and people are not judged by their appearance and clothes,” she said, referring to the headscarf, which hardline secularists see as a symbol of defiance against the separation of religion and state.
For mechanic Mustafa Yenice, claims that the AKP has Islamist ambitions “were created artificially” by political opponents.
“We do not want any more quarrels. We want stability and progress,” he said. “There is no secularist-conservative rift among the Turkish people. We are all children of the same nation.” Other voters disagreed.
“We must get rid of the AKP to protect the values of the republic,” said Unsal Tuna, 37, who travelled 400 kilometres to Ankara overnight from his native village, where he was on holiday.
“The AKP is the real trouble-maker,” said 60-year-old retiree Cemile, who did not give her last name. “They started that headscarf row. I don't cover my head — does this mean I am not a Muslim?” Sunday's election was brought forward from November after political turmoil in April when the opposition boycotted the parliamentary vote expected to elect of Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul of the AKP as president.
The opposition said the AKP, which has its roots in a now-banned Islamist movement, wants to undermine Turkey's secularism, and several million people took to the streets to demonstrate against the prospect of an AKP head of state.—AFP
