Inside Scoop: 3 crises in the AKP before the local elections! 'Unhappy AKP members have gathered there'

Turkey will head to the polls for local elections on March 31, 2024. The New Welfare Party (YRP), which supported AKP Chairman and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the May elections, has closed its doors to an alliance with the AKP for the local elections.

While there is curiosity about how the YRP's decision on the alliance will affect the AKP, Gazete Pencere columnist Nuray Babacan wrote about the three issues causing a crisis within the AKP.

According to Babacan, the alliance with the YRP, regulations concerning retirees, and problems in the earthquake zone stand out as the three issues challenging the AKP before the elections.

Stating that "The YRP is causing damage to the AKP not only in Istanbul but also in the provinces," Babacan added, "The fact that a large portion of the YRP candidates announced recently are former AKP members is creating serious trouble at the local level."

Noting that the promised work in the earthquake zones is progressing with great difficulty, Babacan assessed, "It is known that contractors do not want to take on jobs because the economic crisis and costs are very high, and the constant postponement of the delivery of earthquake housing is creating trouble within the party. Especially the deputies of these regions report that they are having difficulties in their election campaigns. President Tayyip Erdoğan's remarks in his Hatay speech also added fuel to the fire."

Stating that the second major problem is retirees and low-income earners, Babacan reported the following:

"It must have been thought that the promises regarding the increase of the holiday bonus would not be very effective, as new topics are being discussed. Work is being done on what kind of advantages AKP-run municipalities can provide to retirees. In fact, by signing a protocol with the Union of Municipalities, it is aimed to offer discounted services to all retirees, primarily in transportation and water. Discount rates and which services will be included are being drawn up with alternatives. In addition, the advantages that ministries and public institutions will offer to retirees are being researched. In this context, it is being looked into whether electricity and natural gas discounts are sustainable, whether a topic such as rent support can be opened, and whether tax exemptions can be provided. The ruling party will play one of these cards on the field as it gets into trouble during the election process."

THE ALLIANCE CRISIS WITH THE YRP

Finally, stating that the failure to reach an alliance agreement with the YRP has also created a crisis, Babacan wrote, "After the 'not-so-sincere' negotiations with the New Welfare Party ended in failure, another concern took hold of the AKP members. The fact that a large portion of the YRP candidates announced recently are former AKP members is creating serious trouble at the local level. The most ambitious transfer in this regard was the Şanlıurfa candidate Kasım Gülpınar. Gülpınar's earthquake did not remain with him alone. Gülpınar also carried his old friends to the YRP. Former AKP Mayor of Şanlıurfa Nihat Çiftçi was made the Karaköprü candidate and Hasan İzol was made the Siverek candidate by the YRP. Faruk Septioğlu was nominated from Elazığ. The YRP has gathered almost all the unhappy AKP members, especially in the provinces where it is strong."