There are still those who try to reduce politics in Turkey to a sectarian axis. Especially when it comes to Mr. Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, they have been repeating the same routine for years:
“Society will not vote for an Alevi candidate.”
However, the results of the 2023 elections have turned this claim upside down.
While it is accepted that the Alevi population in Turkey is around 10 percent, Mr. Kılıçdaroğlu received 48 percent of the vote. This math alone is enough to throw out a lot of propaganda. This means that a large part of the society did not look at sectarian affiliation, but at character, trust and perception of honesty.
Because the main problem of this nation is not sectarianism.
This nation's problem is with lies, showmanship, artificial heroism and constantly manufactured perceptions.
The man in the street now recognizes this:
Whose language is different, whose life is different...
Whose image is one thing and whose reality is another...
People are tired of fancy sentences, polished screen faces and professional perception engineering. Politics in Turkey has long been conducted through “marketing techniques” rather than the truth. Those who put image before truth may impress crowds for a while, but in the long run they cannot convince the public conscience.
That is why the support Mr. Kılıçdaroğlu has received from different segments of society cannot be underestimated. From the conservative voters of Anatolia to the nationalists, from the center-right to the social democrats, he has been able to create the perception of an “honest person” among a very wide base. This is not a picture that comes easily.
As a matter of fact, it is no coincidence that some circles today are constantly clinging to the sectarian debate. Because they do not want to talk about the real causes of political failures.
Nobody is asking these questions:
Who hastily exhausted a ready political ground?
Who weakened the common struggle by eating each other inside?
Who gave the appearance of “unity” on the outside, but constantly engaged in factionalism on the inside?
It is not the sect but the wrong strategy, uncontrolled ambition and untimely moves that are to blame for the political damage inflicted on some of the figures who were glorified until yesterday.
But instead of talking about all this, the easy way out is chosen:
“The sect is to blame.”
No, sir.
The issue is not sectarian.
Society is now looking for character.
People want to see people who do not have a gap between their private life and their political language. They are tired of those who live ostentatious lives and preach humility to the public. The understanding of politics that constantly pretends, constantly poses, and shows a different face to every segment of society creates fatigue in society.
That is why a significant part of the public saw in Mr. Kılıçdaroğlu a ground of trust with his calm temperament, his relatively modest life and his attitude away from harsh polemics.
You like it or you don't like it...
You can agree or disagree...
But there is one fact that cannot be denied:
Millions of Sunni voters in this country voted for an Alevi politician.
This picture alone shows that the thesis of social disintegration that has been pumped for years is not as strong as it is believed to be.
Turkish society is not as sectarian as it is believed to be.
When people see justice, trust and honesty, they can overcome the walls of identity.
Perhaps this is exactly what some political engineers are really uncomfortable with.