When Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was campaigning earlier this year for local elections in the conservative stronghold of Sakarya, addressing thousands of people at a rally, the mood was cheerful. But then a banner appeared in the crowd, and the mood shifted: “End the shame of trade with Israel.”
As cameras focused on the banner, officers at the event quickly had it removed, escorting out the demonstrators who held it. Erdogan didn’t comment on the banner, and it isn’t clear whether he even saw it.
A month later, Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) won the mayoral race in Sakarya, but its vote share dropped by 18 percentage points compared with the 2019 municipal elections. It lost three districts to a new Islamist party that campaigned heavily on cutting ties with Israel over its war on Gaza: the New Welfare Party (YRP)…..more
