Syrians rejoice as challenger set to expel refugees loses run-off vote
Syrians in Turkey have rejoiced after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan secured another five years in office by winning a run-off election over a rival who threatened to send refugees from Syria back home.
Opposition candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who was seeking to end Mr Erdogan’s rule as Turkey’s leader, made returning the nearly four million people who fled Syria’s civil war a key part of his campaign.
In contrast, Mr Erdogan, who supported opposition groups in the early years of the uprising against Syrian President Bashar Al Assad, projected himself as a protector of refugees.
Salem Al Meslet, head of the National Coalition of the Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces, offered his “sincerest congratulations” and hoped the President would continue to “support the Syrian people’s aspirations for freedom”.
Serhat Suha Cubukcuoglu, senior researcher at the Trends Research and Advisory think tank in Abu Dhabi, told The National: “Erdogan is certainly eyeing a deal for returning some of the refugees … but he does not have an anti-immigration policy.
“Some of the Syrians who have remained in Turkey and not moved on to Europe or elsewhere are working in lower paid, unsecured jobs or ones that Turks would do for a higher salary,” he said.
“So companies and manufacturers may favour Syrians because they provide cheap labour.
“Erdogan doesn’t want to disturb that dynamic because his voter base relies on affluent people in Anatolia who own businesses and don’t want to let people go.”
There has been increasing anti-Syrian sentiment in Turkey amid an economic crisis.
Far-right Victory Party leader Umit Ozdag, who backed Mr Kilicdaroglu, said expelling migrants would lift “the burden” on Turkey’s economy. Their removal would make Turkey’s streets “safe again”, he said.
Such sentiments, along with moves by Turkey to restore relations with Mr Al Assad’s government in recent months, have made Syrian refugees concerned about their future in the country.
“As we know, most Syrians who fled to Turkey are opposed to the Syrian government,” said Hasan Mukhtar, a Syrian activist living in Turkey.
“They may be wanted by the security forces there or at least not want to return to Syria.
“Erdogan’s Justice and Development party provides a moral support, more than anything, for those Syrians seeking a better life in Turkey.”