Shirking the basic question

Çiğdem Toker

To what extent do the non-official results of the 24 June election reflect the true situation? A mere five days have passed since then. However, we have entered an atmosphere that is more or less dismissive of this question and is rapidly legitimising the results. Politics in Ankara is being conducted in the virtual acceptance that an election was held in a democratic climate that was not at all tainted or questionable. Everyone would appear to be in great haste. And this haste is seemingly more important than a deep-down conviction about the election results.

It is natural that each political actor’s haste is different depending on their temperament and priorities. It is nevertheless interesting that the CHP, disregarding the lack of conviction in its base about the night of 24 June, has spoken of setting itself the local elections due in eight months’ time as its first and sole goal. For sure, nobody is inclined to take the local elections lightly. On the contrary, even a change of government in a metropolis is of an importance that will severely fracture the AKP’s hegemony.

But, it appears odd to move forward based on those election results derived under the state of emergency and media censorship without properly probing into the 24 June election results, shedding light on that evening and conducting an analysis by including all data and new variables in the equation.

Before reflecting on this oddness, there is a point I need to bring to your attention:

“We would not have been deterred by threat”

CHP spokesperson Bülent Tezcan called in relation to my article, “The oddness of the early concession.” He said he wanted to provide information about the difference in the assertiveness and tone between the two announcements he made in the space of two hours on the night of 24 June. He also stressed that this was not a denial but was to rectify a possible misunderstanding.
Tezcan indicates that his words, “Let nobody engage in festivities” having said that the election would go to a second round was based on hard data in their possession at that time. He stresses that as he was saying this the total number of ballot boxes to have been opened according to the Supreme Election Council was 46% of the total number of ballot boxes. And, according to this, Muharrem İnce’s vote was 33.65%.

As to his final announcement in which Erdoğan’s electoral victory was conceded to, Tezcan said, “at that point more than 80% of the ballot boxes had been opened. And our friends came to the conclusion that the results would not change from that point on.”
I asked Bülent Tezcan, “I am obliged to ask if any direct or indirect threat came to your party and administrators.”

Tezcan’s reply was precisely as follows:
“Nobody could dare do that. And we would not have been deterred. Had there been a fight, we would have fought, too.”

News agency

Once again the vital need has emerged for the CHP to monitor the elections robustly and professionally and set up a properly functioning and transparent system that will bring the election results to the screens. Once again...

Even if the 24 June elections bore the negative consequences of being conducted under the state of emergency, the CHP had the necessary institutional and financial capacity to set up a system that could surmount these negative factors.

But, this was not done and a heavy price was paid when the system proclaimed to work like a dream on a mobile and web base was put the test and found to be wanting. Without such a system being set up, it is hard for the position that accepts the 24 June election results to be true and “data” to inspire trust. As such, this makes it hard to see what result will be attained by focusing on the local elections. There is a need for more than today’s broken system to enable the excitement and sacrifice on the morning of June 24 to find renewed vigour when the 2019 local elections come.

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