Citizens' anger towards crisis and justice

Policy Service

The government, which has placed the full burden of the economic crisis and rising poverty on the people, is trying to stay afloat with the judicial stick. All public opinion polls show that the country's most pressing problems are by far the economy , poverty, financial hardship, and unemployment, while millions are condemned to live below the poverty line.

On the other hand, the increasing unlawfulness following the March 19 operations, the imprisonment of mayors, trustees appointed to opposition municipalities, and the usurpation of will by the judiciary are another burning problem in the country.

Area Research 's August "Turkey Political Agenda Survey," conducted with 2,000 people in 26 provinces and 87 districts, revealed that the public's most frequent complaints were about the economy and the judiciary. The survey, which asked participants, "Do you find the government's overall economic performance successful?", yielded only 20.8% of respondents who responded "yes." 77% responded "no." A further 2.2% had no opinion.

In the same survey, participants were also asked, "Do you believe that the judicial system in Türkiye operates impartially and independently?" The percentage of those who answered "yes" to this question remained at 20.6%, while the percentage of those who answered "no" rose to 75.8%. 3.6% did not express an opinion.

Rallys are not enough

These two pieces of data also answer the question of where the opposition should focus its primary focus. Since the March 19th operations, the main opposition party has held 50 rallies across the country to draw attention to the unlawful practices. The main theme of these rallies was to expose the unlawful practices of the regime, which usurps the will of the people with the stick of the judiciary, and to demonstrate to the public that the government, which seeks radishes and octopus in operations, has so far failed to provide any tangible justification. The CHP attempted to make this point through rallies held across the country, from Bayburt to Konya, Yozgat to Sivas, and Maltepe to Aydın. Judging by the enthusiasm and excitement of these rallies, it wouldn't be wrong to say that they were successful in this endeavor. However, the rallies alone were not enough to halt the operations and eliminate the unlawful practices.

THE SOLUTION IS IN COMMON STRUGGLE

Despite the economic collapse being the country's most pressing problem, a defiant opposition that would rally the starving millions and pave the way for a common struggle against the regime has not been organized. The minimum wage, which has eroded in the face of inflation, the ridiculous interim raises for civil servants, the poverty wages paid by retirees, and rising rents and expenses have deepened poverty. The failure to build a unified struggle around class demands, from unions and democratic mass organizations to professional chambers and leftist and socialist organizations, has effectively given the regime a breather. It appears that the need for an opposition that will expose and protest injustices while simultaneously championing economic demands is greater than ever.

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ÇERÇİOĞLU'S JOINING OF THE AKP IS WRONG

Area's research also asked, "Is it right for Aydın Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Özlem Çerçioğlu, who switched from the CHP to the AKP despite backlash, to join the AKP?" The percentage of those who answered "yes" to this question was 31.3 percent, while the percentage of those who answered "no" exceeded 60 percent. Eight percent did not want to express an opinion. Tens of thousands attended the rally held in Aydın following Çerçioğlu's switch to the AKP. Other key points from the research concerned voter turnout. The responses to the question, "If parliamentary elections were held today, which party would you vote for?" were 24.7 for the CHP, 24 for the AKP, 8 for the DEM, 6.8 for the MHP, and 5.6 for the İyi Party.