"Azerbaijan must adapt its governance system to Turkey." - A perspective from Baku
Azerbaijani commentators on the elections in Turkey
On March 31, neighboring Turkey held elections for local government bodies. After a 47-year hiatus in elections, the main opposition party, the Republican People’s Party (RPP), emerged victorious. The Justice and Development Party (AKP) of Recep Tayyip Erdogan suffered a devastating defeat for the first time in its 23-year rule.
In his first statement on the elections, the president of Turkey said that democracy had won and congratulated the winners.
“We are investigating the reasons for our defeat in the elections, where we made mistakes, we will openly acknowledge them, and take necessary measures,” Erdogan said.
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Since Turkey has significant influence on Azerbaijan and the region, Azerbaijani society, politicians, and political analysts closely monitored the recent elections.
Natig Jafarli, a leader of the Republican Alternative Party, believes that if Azerbaijan sees Turkey as an example in terms of building its military, aligning with it on security and foreign policy concepts, then it should also adapt its governance system.
“We should transition to a system of local self-government, like in Turkey, establish the office of mayor and hold direct elections. Simultaneously, we should transform the existing 14 economic regions into administrative-territorial units and establish the institution of governorship (personal representative of the president),” he said.
The politician added that in these elections Turkey demonstrated its path towards becoming a democratic country, and following this, Turkey’s alignment with the West will accelerate, and economic issues will gradually be addressed.
“These elections also revealed the name of the strongest candidate for the next presidential elections in Turkey in 2028 – Imamoglu.
Ekrem Imamoglu will replicate Erdogan’s political career, who also became the number one politician after becoming the mayor of Istanbul and managed the country for the past 22 years.
Azerbaijan should also understand this and consider the Imamoglu factor in interstate relations.
Furthermore, I hope that Turkey’s approach to democracy will not lead Azerbaijan to distance itself from Turkey.“
Head of the “Atlas” Research Center, Elkhan Shahinoglu:
“Erdogan will not participate in these elections. After the significant victories of Mansur Yavash in Ankara and Ekrem Imamoglu in the municipal elections in Istanbul, the main opposition party has at least two strong candidates for the presidential elections. One of them will become the presidential candidate.
If the ruling Justice and Development Party does not have such a charismatic leader as Erdogan in the next presidential elections, their chances of winning will decrease.”
Natig Jafarli and Elkhan Shahinoglu see the acknowledgment of defeat by the Turkish president and his statement that “democracy won in these elections” as a commitment of the current president to democracy. In their opinion, it is unfair to label Erdogan as a dictator.
“Those who call Turkey a dictatorship and Erdogan a dictator should be ashamed. There cannot be a dictatorship in a country that holds fair elections, acknowledges its defeat, and cares about the voters and their voices,” believes Natig Jafarli.
According to political analyst Shahin Jafarli, the election of Yavas and Imamoglu as mayors of Ankara and Istanbul, as well as the majority of the main opposition party in the city council, will strengthen the positions of the main opposition party in governing the country:
“Last time, the majority was in the pro-government Union ‘Cumhur’, and president Erdogan stated that Yavash and Imamoglu would be ‘lame ducks,’ meaning they would not be able to function effectively. (Of course, this did not happen).
To achieve a majority in the Municipal Assembly, it is necessary to win the majority of district municipalities in a large city. In Ankara, there are 25 districts, and the main opposition party controlled only 3 district municipalities. Yesterday they won another 13 district municipalities.
In Istanbul, there are 39 districts, and the main opposition party controlled 14 of them, mostly inhabited by a more progressive population. In the last elections, another 12 municipalities were also won, which are mainly known as conservative districts.
The main opposition party won in Beyoglu, where president Erdogan was born and raised, and in Uskudar, where his mansion is located.
Victory in the municipal councils is also important in the sense that Imamoglu and Yavash can easily resign and run for president in the likely early elections. In this case, the municipal councils of Istanbul and Ankara will be able to elect another representative of the main opposition party as mayor.”
