Turkey elections: Refugees are a top political issue

ELMAS TOPCU

A few men stood in front of a blue-framed door in the Bagcilar district of Turkey’s biggest city, Istanbul, earlier this month. One of them, tall and very agitated, shouted out a question.

“Can I go to Syria and kill someone there?” he demanded. “No.”

The man was angry because his brother, a textile worker, was shot dead by a Syrian in a clash between two groups.

The presidential candidate of the right-wing nationalist Ata Alliance, Sinan Ogan, visited the family.

“I promise you we will send the Syrians back as soon as possible. We won’t allow another Turk to be murdered by a Syrian,” he said.

Ogan is one of four candidates running in the May 14 presidential elections. The 55-year-old politician started out in the Ulkucu, or Gray Wolves, movement. He was kicked out of the ultra-nationalist MHP party after an intra-party power struggle. Just weeks ahead of the vote, his approval ratings are between 1.3% and 2.5%, according to surveys.

Ogan and the Ata Alliance are not the only ones stirring up anti-refugee feelings. With the exception of the pro-Kurdish Green-Left Alliance, all other alliances have pledged to immediately send almost 4 million Syrians back to neighbouring Syria if they win the election.

Another politician banking on anti-refugee sentiment is Kemal Kilicdaroglu, head of the CHP opposition party and presidential candidate for the largest opposition alliance. Years ago, Kilicdaroglu sensed Turkish people’s resentment and made refugee policy one of his priorities. Should he win the vote, he says he will negotiate with the Syrian regime concerning the return of refugees.

His alliance included the issue in its election program along with a pledge to review the refugee pact with the European Union and conclude a separate repatriation agreement with third countries.

The alliance also wants to monitor porous border crossings with new technologies and drones and build walls to prevent uncontrolled migration if necessary. Visa facilitation with various states would also be discussed.

Until a year ago, the ruling AKP party protected Syrians, viewing them above all as cheap labor indispensable to the Turkish economy. However, as Turkish society’s acceptance of Syrians dwindles in view of the economic crisis, inflation and poverty, the AKP has changed its tune.

“With the realisation that the Syrians wouldn’t return home after a few years, the mood changed,” said Murat Erdogan, a migration researcher at Turkey’s Ankara University.

The opposition parties were the first to pick up on the growing discontent in the population, he said, and the AKP party followed suit after scoring points among voters with the refugee issue. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said he would prepare for the voluntary and safe return of Syrians and that his party would continue to fight illegal migration.

“The AKP has recently been bragging about high deportation figures,” the migration researcher said.

Over the past five years, Murat Erdogan has conducted the Syrians Barometer survey, which examines the lives of Turks and Syrians and takes a close look at their coexistence in Turkey.

Every year, the survey asks people how important the refugee issue is for Turkish society. In past years, the issue has always been rated as significant, landing among the top three or four topics.