We are fast approaching to the 2023 Turkish general elections. Before the elections, the People's Alliance stands out with its polarizing, hostile and discriminatory rhetoric. The Nation Alliance, on the other hand, draws attention with its rhetoric based on reconstructing social peace, reconciliation and love with the heart signs made with hands during the campaign. However, in recent weeks, the homophobic rhetoric of the Yeniden Refah Partisi and the threats to the existence of LGBTI+ organizations seem to have been accepted by the society to a certain extent, and similar statements were also reflected in the discourses of the Nation Alliance candidates.In the event that the People's Alliance wins the elections, many worrying scenarios are foreseen for non-governmental organizations and individuals working in the field of LGBTI+ rights. The reason is clear. Some members of the People's Alliance openly promise that LGBTI+ associations will be closed. In an environment where these hate speeches are spearheaded by the President, the Minister of Interior and the Minister of Justice, the polarizing discourses of "either us or LGBT people" cause anxiety among LGBTI+ rights defenders.[1]Although the Nation Alliance stands out with its more peaceful and inclusive rhetoric that gives confidence to LGBTIs, unfortunately, there have been some statements to the contrary from this very segment recently. These statements, which can be interpreted as making fun of LGBTI identities and associating them with immorality, are disappointing because they are made by those who we think are more democratic and peaceful in politics.[2] Although this situation did not lead LGBTI individuals to give up supporting the Nation Alliance candidate in the Presidential elections, it greatly reduced their expectations from a possible Nation Alliance government.[3] Nevertheless, although homophobic statements are false and distrustful, in the light of their statements so far, it can be expected that LGBTI+ individuals will be freer and more comfortable in a possible Nation Alliance government compared to their current situation.The ongoing discourse of the People's Alliance reflects a superiority or inferiority between lifestyles where the winner will make the life of the other difficult. On the other hand, it would be appropriate to see the homophobic statements of the Nation Alliance, which emphasizes social peace, reconciliation, and unity in almost every issue, as a mistake made as a result of carelessness rather than a sign of public policy preference.<a fr-original-style="" href="#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); text-decoration: none; background-color: transparent; outline: none; cursor: pointer; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: auto; box-sizing: border-box;" target="_blank" title=""> </a><hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" fr-original-style="" style="height: 0px; overflow: visible; border-bottom: none; clear: both; user-select: none; break-after: page; box-sizing: border-box;"> <a href="#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" title="" target="_blank" fr-original-style="" style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); text-decoration: none; background-color: transparent; outline: none; cursor: pointer; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: auto; box-sizing: border-box;"></a>[1] https://bianet.org/bianet/lgbti/278415-secim-yarisinda-nefret-yayiliyor-lgbti-dernekleri-uyardi-suc-isliyorsunuz[2] https://kaosgl.org/haber/millet-ittifaki-bilesenleri-acilen-ayrimci-soylemden-geri-donmeli-lgbti-haklarini-konusmali[3] https://kaosgl.org/haber/lgbti-lara-nefret-soylemi-toplum-sagligini-olumsuz-etkiliyor

The Freedom Observer

The ongoing discourse of the People's Alliance reflects a superiority or inferiority between lifestyles where the winner will make the life of the other difficult. On the other hand, it would be appropriate to see the homophobic statements of the Nation Alliance, which emphasizes social peace, reconciliation, and unity in almost every issue, as a mistake made as a result of carelessness rather than a sign of public policy preference.

The Difficult Test of LGBTI+s: 2023 Elections

The objections of the lawyers did not attract the necessary attention and the public seems to have focused on the elections. With the announcement of the election calendar, all parties started to seek various alliances and strategic negotiations within the alliance they were placed to achieve success in the elections.First of all, although the opposition voters, commented that the Table for Six would disintegrate because of the short-term crack in the Nation Alliance caused by İYİ Party leader Meral Akşener's opposition to Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu's presidential candidacy, seemed to drift into pessimism for a moment, Akşener returned to the Table after intense negotiations. Although the presidential candidate issue has been resolved by consensus, the issue of whether Nation Alliance will enter the parliamentary election with a joint list, or whether the SAADET, GELECEK, and DEVA parties will enter with a separate list, as it has been discussed recently, and how the distribution between the parties will be in these lists has not been clarified.On the other hand, although the number of parties in the Nation Alliance has become clear, we observe that the People's Alliance is trying to include other parties in the alliance. The People's Alliance continues to negotiate with the Yeniden Refah and HUDA-PAR. The fact that these two political Islamist parties will shift the ideological average of the alliance to the right, especially the existence of HUDA-PAR, which is known to be close to Hezbollah, has become questioned by the public.Meanwhile, six parties, primarily HDP and TİP, announced that they would enter the elections as the Labor and Freedom Alliance (LFA), and it was agreed that each of the Alliance parties could enter the elections with their names and logos. It is said that in case the HDP is closed it will show its candidates from the Greens and Left Future Party in all cities. In addition, after some members of the Labor and Freedom Alliance announced that they will support Kılıçdaroğlu in the presidential election, the official statement of support of the LFA is expected soon.Finally, debates continue about whether the candidacy of Muharrem İnce, who announced his candidacy for Presidency, will reduce the probability of Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu being elected. Meanwhile, it is expected that İnce could not stand the pressure from the public and would announce his support to Kılıçdaroğlu.The pace of interaction and negotiation between political parties is crucial for Turkish democracy. It is hoped that this will continue throughout the election process and, more importantly, that government or judicial institutions will not interfere with the democratic process during and after the election.

President Erdoğan decided to hold the elections on May 14, 2023. As we have stated in previous bulletins, it should be emphasized again that it is unconstitutional for Erdoğan to run for president for the third time. However, due to the well-known influence of the government on the judicial institutions, especially the Supreme Election Council, and the confidence of the opposition parties in the elections, the political power did not care about this contradiction, and the opposition did not go over this situation. 

Nation Alliance ile ilgili hikayeler