Election results and the Hizmet movement

Dr. Ihsan Yilmaz
Dr. Ihsan Yilmaz


Date posted: April 5, 2014

İHSAN YILMAZ

Unlike the perception that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan tried to create, with the help of tremendous media power, the contention in the run-up to the elections was never between the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the Hizmet movement (or the so-called foreign forces that colluded with it).

The race was between Erdoğan’s ambition to emerge as the only leader and Turkey’s democratic mission. The matter went beyond mere corruption claims. Indeed, the tension and authoritarian ambitions had not started to build with the corruption allegations.

In retrospect, we can make the following observations: until 2011 or 2012, Erdoğan had used Turkey’s bid to join the European Union, the democratization process, reforms, etc., as leverage against the Kemalist bureaucratic oligarchy and to eliminate the obstacles in his path. In this way, he thwarted the bureaucratic oligarchy and military tutelage. He consolidated his power. Since 2010, there have been three major developments that betray Erdoğan’s antidemocratic tendencies. First, the Constitutional Court was overhauled in line with the constitutional amendments voted “yes” in the referendum of 2011. Previously, every party of political Islam had been shut down, and the AKP, being the last of its kind, had barely dodged an attempt to close it.

When the referendum of 2011 made it impossible for the Constitutional Court to shut down political parties, Erdoğan was spared one of the checks and balances against him. Second, the legal actions against Ergenekon — a clandestine organization nested within the state, trying to overthrow or manipulate the democratically elected government — and Balyoz (Sledgehammer) coup plot — devised in 2003 with the aim of unseating the AKP through violent acts — largely eliminated Erdoğan’s second major fear — that of being overthrown by the military. Third, in the last general election, Erdoğan secured 50 percent of the national vote, a historic record, although that was his party’s third term in office, and there has been no serious challenge from any opposition party in the last 10 years.

Thus, Erdoğan started to drag his feet on the EU process, although a minister who was warm to the idea of joining the EU was appointed as EU minister and there was no longer the threat of former French President Nicholas Sarkozy’s meddling in the process. Burhan Kuzu, a leading AKP official, blasted the EU progress report during a live TV broadcast. Erdoğan frequently cited the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) as an alternative to the EU. The debate on the presidential system began, and Kuzu referred to US President Barack Obama as “poor Obama” because he had to consult the US Congress about his actions. The prime minister’s chief adviser, Yiğit Bulut, said, “There are two and a half leaders in the world: one is Erdoğan, the other is Vladimir Putin and the half is Obama.” According to the presidential system proposed by the AKP, the judiciary and legislature would be subordinated to one leader.

Meanwhile, Erdoğan continued to embolden his control over media outlets. They were intimidated with heavy tax fines, as in the case of the Doğan media group. Alternatively, certain pro-government businessmen were forced to make a common fund to buy certain media outlets, such as the Sabah newspaper and ATV TV channel, to which the brother of Erdoğan’s son-in-law was then appointed boss, and these media outlets were turned into staunch propaganda tools for Erdoğan. The English-language Sabah Daily, which has recently begun publication, is another member of this camp. Or, as in the case of the Akşam newspaper, a former AKP deputy was appointed as editor-in-chief to reshuffle employees and columnists and make the paper fully pro-government. Then, as in the case of the Habertürk newspaper and Habertürk TV, a government commissar (Fatih Altaylı) was appointed head of the media group, which was weak against the government due to its business operations in the mining and energy sectors. The opposition became weaker and moved mainly to the use of social media. There are few groups that have remained undaunted by this carrot-and-stick approach. For Erdoğan, the most dangerous was the Hizmet movement, which directly and effectively appealed to Erdoğan’s supporters.

It had neither tax problems nor business to transact with the state. It could act in an independent and objective manner. Erdoğan threatened to shut down the dershanes (exam preparatory schools) run by the Hizmet movement in an effort to make this group surrender to his will, but he was surprised to see that the Hizmet movement was not eager to surrender. This further angered him, and he started to demonize the Hizmet movement. Moreover, by the tactic of pretending to be the victim of unfair attacks — which he had successfully employed during the Gezi Park protests — he parroted that the Hizmet movement was trying to overthrow his government in collaboration with external forces that are jealous of his successful domestic and foreign policies and, apparently, he persuaded his supporters. Yet, this is a Pyrrhic victory. The country has been considerably polarized, and it is not easy to govern. About 55-57 percent of the nation hate him. The only option for Erdoğan is to grow more and more authoritarian.

However, his electoral support is in decline. His share of the vote was 50 percent in 2011. There has been a 7 percent decrease. For the 43 percent of voters who don’t care about corruption but opted for economy and stability, he will have to run economic wonders, as the internal and external dynamics do not favor the Turkish economy.

Source: Todays Zaman , April 2, 2014


Related News

Is PM looking for someone he can pass the blame to?

Gulen’s words were clearly a conditional curse or a committing of his affair to God in total submission in the face of horrendous lies. “If your accusations are true, may God destroy us. But if your accusations are wrong, then may God destroy you,” he had said. Amen.

The system is the root cause of corruption

We have the perfect recipe for all kinds of corruption. The media has been silenced. It does not work as a watchdog, inspecting the government’s financial dealings. Parliament cannot inspect the government’s financial transactions. The Court of Accounts (Sayıştay) cannot inspect the government’s expenses. There are no internal mechanisms within the ruling party to make sure its leaders are accountable; there is only an infallible leader figure, and whatever he does, the party endorses it.

Government drags military into politics

There are now serious question marks over whether the government orchestrated the operations at TİB to libel Hizmet for wiretapping with the aim of diverting attention from the separate spying case under way in Ankara and saving those uniformed men from facing judicial scrutiny over charges of spying.

Turkish gov’t detains more than 70 women over their alleged financial support for jailed Gülen followers

The Turkish government detained more than 70 women on Wednesday evening in five provinces across Turkey as part of a investigation targeting alleged members of the Gülen movement. It was claimed that the detained women have been helping financially to the relatives of those who were jailed or escaped from the persecution of the Turkish government.

Prominent businessman Akın İpek pledges huge support to Kimse Yok Mu

A huge support campaign has grown to back Kimse Yok Mu after the recent Cabinet decree which banned the charity’s ability to accept public donations without government approval. Koza İpek Holding Chairman Akın İpek has donated 1000 animals for Eid al-Adha, the Feast of the Sacrifice.

GYV: Hard-won democratic gains sacrificed for short-term interests

The move to seek the extradition of Fethullah Gülen using irrational justifications, the pressures on those businesspeople who sympathize with the Hizmet movement and the boycotts and sufferings that came in the wake of Erdoğan’s threat, “Do not given them [the Hizmet movement] even a single drop of water,” are the sort of developments unseen even during coup eras.

Latest News

Fethullah Gulen – man of education, peace and dialogue – passes away

Fethullah Gülen’s Condolence Message for South African Human Rights Defender Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Hizmet Movement Declares Core Values with Unified Voice

Ankara systematically tortures supporters of Gülen movement, Kurds, Turkey Tribunal rapporteurs say

Erdogan possessed by Pharaoh, Herod, Hitler spirits?

Devious Use of International Organizations to Persecute Dissidents Abroad: The Erdogan Case

A “Controlled Coup”: Erdogan’s Contribution to the Autocrats’ Playbook

Why is Turkey’s Erdogan persecuting the Gulen movement?

Purge-victim man sent back to prison over Gulen links despite stage 4 cancer diagnosis

In Case You Missed It

Turkish Colleges wins mathematics, science awards

Plot against Samanyolu media group detected

Int’l language and culture festival ends with spectacular ceremony in Germany

Parents protest deportation of Pak-Turk School’s teachers, staff

Turkish teacher jailed over Gülen links dies in prison due to lack of medication

Romania Refuses to Extradite Journalist to Turkey

Questions over corruption and paralysis of politics [in Turkey]

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News