Presidential campaign Istanbul

The presidential elections in Turkey in the spring of 2023 were the most exciting in recent history, for both Turkey and the rest of the world. For 20 years, the joint opposition finally had a chance to win against the established and controversial president Erdoğan. The progressive and more secular opposition saw this as a last chance to save what was left of democracy, while the conservative and more Islamic population feared the loss of familiar power. A battle not just about political preference, but about identity! In the increasingly autocratically developed country, the progressive opposition was hardly given any space in the media to profile itself, in contrast to Erdoğan's ruling APK party. This was clearly visible on the Eminönü square in the historic heart of Istanbul. Everything was pulled out: with bombastic power music, immense flags and Erdoğan's idolatrous 'paid volunteers', bystanders were convinced to vote. The opposition occasionally got an hour and did their best, but to no avail. In a neck-and-neck race, the 2nd round was won with 52% of the votes by Erdoğan, who will remain president for another 5 years.