Foreign envoys puzzled by local election practices in Turkey

HURRIYET JANUARY 19 SERKAN DEMIRTAS

“Never a dull moment” is perhaps the most frequently – and fairly – used phrase by foreign diplomats in Turkey. There has never been a single moment since 2013 that left diplomats, journalists and analysts idle, both over the intensified Syria agenda and the constant electiondriven and polarized internal political landscape. Accompanied by even further centralization of the governance system in the aftermath of last year’s June 24 elections, most diplomats - and foreigners in general - fail to get a clear understanding of many current issues. (To be honest, there are, at the same time, so many issues which even Turkish nationals have difficulty understanding.) Here are some current issues and developments which foreign diplomats have questions about: Why is Yildirim not resigning? What are local elections if not a political activity? Can the opposition win Istanbul and Ankara? Why is Mr. Bahçeli labelling political rivals as enemies? What will happen to the economy after the elections? Many of the measures announced by the government are believed to have a populist imperative in a bid keep the economy running and to avoid more turbulence in the lead up to the elections. Many diplomats interpreted the fact that the Central Bank decided to move forward the date of its general assembly meeting from April to January to transfer its profit to the Treasury from this perspective. The amount of money that was funneled to the Treasury on January 18 was around TRY 30 billion. These are only a few of the lingering questions over Turkey’s economy and politics, and answers will have to wait for some more time.