Turkey's upcoming election raises concern in Germany
Marina Strauss
June 7, 2018
Turks living in Germany will be able to vote in their home country from this Thursday. Some German politicians fear that many are being pressured to vote for Erdogan and his party.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/U. Deck
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In the run-up to Turkey’s presidential and parliamentary elections, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his conservative Justice and Development Party (AKP) are once again relying on the Turks in Germany — even though campaign appearances on German soil have been banned for over a year.
It does, in fact, appear likely that many of the more than 1.4 million eligible Turks living in Germany will vote for Erdogan and his AKP in the coming days — at least based on voting patterns in recent elections. In last year's constitutional referendum, almost two thirds of German Turks supported the president's plan to change the constitution and introduce a presidential system. Starting this Thursday, voters across 13 German cities will be able to cast their ballots in the presidential and parliamentary elections.
The planned constitutional reforms, which have been also very controversial in Germany, will be completed after the snap election on June 24. The election was originally to be held in 2019. Erdogan brought it forward in anticipation of an impending currency crisis. He also wanted to prevent the new nationalist "Good Party" (IYI) from competing too strongly with him. From Erdogan's point of view, the best-case scenario would see him, after an election victory, effectively as both head of state and government — also able to wield considerable influence on the judiciary.
'A mood of intimidation'
But it may end up being a close call for Erdogan, according to surveys. There are five rival candidates running which could pose a threat to him — especially if Erdogan fails to win outright in the first round vote and then has to face one of them head-to-head. German MP for the Christian Democrats, Roderich Kiesewetter, also considers it "anything but certain" that there will be another outright election victory for the current president.
"Many eligible voters have become increasingly critical of the negative effects on the Turkish economy and civil rights that have resulted from Erdogan's restructuring of the country," Kiesewetter told DW.
Some observers claim that an Erdogan victory is not guaranteedImage: Reuters/M. Sezer
It remains to be seen, however, whether such doubts and criticism of Erdogan's policies will lead to a corresponding election result. Gokay Akbulut, MP for the Left Party, believes that massive pressure is also being exerted on Turks living in Germany.
"A mood of intimidation has spread among citizens of Turkish origin in Germany in recent years," says Akbulut. "Many no longer dare to express their political views openly because they fear that this could create problems for relatives in Turkey."
In addition, Akbulut believes that the Turkish government has installed a network of informers within Germany to collect information about opposition members without hindrance. "It would be naive to think that this practice has no effect on the voting behavior of the constituency in Germany," she says.
Kiesewetter disagrees: "I expect things to go smoothly and firmly believe that every eligible voter will be free to make his or her own decision on who to vote for," he told DW.
The CDU's Kiesewetter does not believe German Turks are facing coercionImage: picture-alliance/dpa
'I do not expect the elections to be free'
Akbulut, however, does not rule out the possibility that the elections will be rigged. Free Democrat (FDP) MP, Gyde Jensen, shares these concerns. She will be in Turkey as an OSCE election observer. And she does not believe that everything will be "free and independent." As the chair of the German parliament's Human Rights Committee, she told DW that she has been particularly concerned about the situation where "tens of thousands of people" who have been critical of the regime are being detained.
Green Party MP, Cem Özdemir agrees with Akbulut and Jensen. "Anyone who wants a democratic, Europe-oriented Turkey is hoping, of course, that there will be democratic elections," he says.
Cem Özdemir is among Erdogan's staunchest critics in the BundestagImage: picture-alliance/düa/B. von Jutrcenka
Özdemir is particularly critical that the left-wing, pro-Kurdish, People's Democratic Party (HDP) candidate, Selahattin Demirtas,is running his election campaign from prison. He has been held on terrorist charges since 2016. In the case of Turkey's vote on June 24, there can be no talk of free elections according to Western standards, Özdemir laments.
Why are German and Turkish relations so strained?
German-Turkish relations have deteriorated since the failed coup against Turkish President Erdogan in 2016 and the crackdown that followed. DW looks at some of the key moments that soured ties between Berlin and Ankara.
Image: picture-alliance/POP-EYE/B. Kriemann
The Böhmermann affair
March 31, 2016: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan filed charges against German comedian and satirist Jan Böhmermann over his "defamatory poem" about the Turkish leader. German prosecutors eventually dropped the charges on October 4, 2016, but the case sparked a diplomatic row between Berlin and Ankara.
German lawmakers pass resolution to recognize 1915 Armenian Genocide
June 2, 2016: The resolution passed almost unanimously. In response, Turkey recalled its ambassador in Berlin and Germany's Turkish community held protests in several German cities. Turkey had repeatedly criticized the use of the term genocide to describe the Ottoman-era Armenian killings, arguing that the number of deaths had been inflated, and that Turkish Muslims also perished in the violence.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/S. Gallup
Tensions following failed coup in Turkey
July 15, 2016: A faction of the Turkish military tried to overthrow President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, but ultimately failed. Ankara accused Berlin of not taking a clear stand against the coup attempt or not doing anything about exiled preacher Fethullah Gulen's organization, who Erdogan blames for orchestrating the failed coup.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/S. Suna
Germany criticizes post-coup purge
Immediately following the attempted coup, Turkish authorities purged the army and judiciary, detaining thousands of people. The purge expanded to include civil servants, university officials and teachers. German politicians criticize the detentions. Turkish diplomats, academics and military members fled the country and applied for asylum in Germany.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/S. Suna
Kurdish rallies in Cologne
Erdogan's post-coup crackdown has also been condemned by Kurdish protesters at several mass demonstrations in the west German city of Cologne. Often the rallies have called for the release of Abdullah Ocalan, the jailed leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which Turkey considers to be a terror group. Ankara has accused Berlin of not doing enough to stop PKK activities.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/M. Meissner
Arrest of German citizens in Turkey
February 14, 2017: Deniz Yücel, a correspondent for the "Welt" newspaper, was taken into custody in Turkey. Other German nationals, including journalist Mesale Tolu and human rights activist Peter Steudtner were detained in Turkey for what Berlin dubbed "political reasons." Turkey accused them of supporting terrorist organizations. All three have since been released pending trial.
March 2017: A number of German localities blocked Turkish ministers from holding rallies in their districts ahead of an April referendum in Turkey to enhance President Erdogan's powers. The Turkish leader then accused Germany of using "Nazi tactics" against Turkish citizens in Germany and visiting Turkish lawmakers. German leaders were not amused by the jibe, saying Erdogan had gone too far.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/O. Berg
Spying allegations
March 30, 2017: Germany accused Turkey of spying on hundreds of suspected Gulen supporters as well as over 200 associations and schools linked to the Gulen movement in Germany. Turkish asylum-seekers have since accused officials working in Germany's immigration authority (BAMF) of passing on their information to media outlets with ties to the Turkish government.
Image: Imago/Chromeorange/M. Schroeder
Erdogan urges German-Turks not to vote for 'enemies of Turkey'
August 18, 2017: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan slammed three of Germany's main political parties as "enemies of Turkey" and told Turks living in Germany not to vote for them in September's general election. He singled out Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU), the Social Democrats (SPD), and the Greens. Merkel said Erdogan was "meddling" in Germany's election.
Image: picture-alliance/abaca/AA/M. Ali Ozcan
Merkel says Turkey should not become EU member
September 4, 2017: German Chancellor Angela Merkel said during an election debate that she didn't think Turkey should become a member of the European Union and said she would speak with other EU leaders about ending Ankara's accession talks. In October, she backed a move to cut Turkey's pre-accession EU funds.
Image: Reuters/F. Bensch
Turkey's military offensive in Afrin
January 20, 2018: The Turkish military and their Syrian rebel allies launched "Operation Olive Branch" against the Kurdish-held enclave of Afrin in northern Syria. The move was criticized by German politicians and prompted large protests by Kurdish communities in Germany.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/O. Kose
Journalist Deniz Yücel released from prison
February 16, 2018: Turkey ordered the release of German-Turkish journalist Deniz Yücel after he'd been held for over a year without charge. According to Turkish state media, Yücel was released on bail from pre-trial detention. Prosecutors asked for an 18-year jail sentence for Yücel on charges of "terror propaganda" and incitement.
Image: picture-alliance/Eventpress/Stauffenberg
Özil quits
July 2018: German footballer Mesut Özil quit the national team following the fallout from his meeting with the Turkish president. Özil said he was being made a scapegoat for Germany's forgettable performance at the FIFA World Cup in Moscow because of his Turkish heritage. Erdogan praised Özil's decision and slammed the "racist" mistreatment of the footballer.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Presidential Press Service
Travel ban lifted
August 2018: A Turkish court removed the travel ban on German journalist Mesale Tolu, who was arrested last year on terrorism-related charges. But the trial against Tolu, who has since returned to Germany, is set to continue. Her husband, Suat Corlu, who is facing similar charges, has been ordered to remain in Turkey.
