Voters in Turkey's western province of Balıkesir are keen to show their disenchantment with the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), as they look for alternatives from within the opposition parties. Balıkesir, an important tourist destination due to its famous olive groves, thermal spas and clean beaches, has its roots set in tradition and conservatism. In the last general election, in 2011, the AK Party reeled in four deputies in Balıkesir after receiving 46.5 percent of the vote. The main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) received 33 percent of the vote in Balıkesir, enabling the party to field three deputies. The remaining deputy was granted to the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), which only received 13.8 percent of the vote. However, the interesting issue in Balıkesir's 2011 election, which also makes predicting the victor of the 2015 election difficult, is the fact that there were only a total of 866,747 voters in 2011. This translated into the AK Party garnering 356,569 votes, the CHP getting 258,961 votes and the MHP 106,286 votes -- despite the large differences in vote ratios. The head of the MHP Balıkesir women's branch, Semra Şık, claimed that this election would be different from the last, saying that the public wanted a change from the AK Party. “Those who are unhappy with the AK Party are rushing to the MHP,” she said. Talking of the MHP's chances in the election, she said: “In the last elections we managed to elect one deputy [from Balıkesir]. Now I believe we will elect [at least] three, pushing towards four. I [personally] believe it could even be five.” When asked why the people of Balıkesir would vote for the MHP, Şık said: “There has been an immense reaction against the Ak Saray, also against the Mercedes car [allocated for the use] of the head of the Religious Affairs Directorate.” The Ak Saray is the colossal complex built as the new presidential palace that has been dubbed the “Kaç'Ak Saray,” suggesting the word “kaçak,” which means runaway or illegal. The play on words is intended to highlight the illegality of the building, which was built on the Atatürk Forestry Farm (AOÇ), a recreational farming area donated to the state by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, founder of the Turkish Republic. Also, Religious Affairs Directorate President Mehmet Görmez was recently at the center of controversy for his use of a luxury armored vehicle, which was valued at TL 1 million. The price tag revelation of Görmez's previous car forced him to announce that he would return it, only to be rebuked by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who presented Görmez with the “gift” of a new one. Timber merchant: I'll vote for HDP to damage AKP Gamze Çorbacıoğlu, a timber merchant in Bandırma, evaluated the chances of the AK Party in the region, saying that Bandırma was dominated by the CHP; therefore, she would be better off voting for the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) despite normally describing herself as a Turkish nationalist-conservative. “I think the HDP passing the election threshold would do most damage to the AK Party. The CHP and the MHP are already going to pass the threshold anyway. The HDP entering Parliament would mean the AK Party losing more seats in Parliament,” she said.

• published: 02 Jun 2015
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