From our special correspondent in Turkey – As Turkey prepares to go to the polls on May 14 to choose between President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the challenger Kemal Kilicdaroglu, Turkey’s 15 to 20 million Kurdish voters could well be the kingmakers. FRANCE 24 reports.
“I am Kurdish and Alevi; I am discriminated against because of this dual identity”, said Emre, a 23-year-old student standing in front of a blue plastic tent, his eyes glassy. He was born and raised in Pazarcik, a predominantly Kurdish and Alevi town in southeastern Turkey’s Kahramanmaras province. His family lost everything on the night of February 6 when the earthquake shook this part of Turkey.
“I saw a lot of people die because of the lack of help in the first two or three days,” Emre said. “This is a Kurdish and Alevi street. Houses were destroyed – but we didn’t get the same amount of help as other streets that were actually less damaged.”
Emre’s voice sounds numb with anger. He has no doubt that Kurds and Alevi, a minority practising a heterodox form of Islam, are discriminated against: He adds, “A century ago, White and Black Americans lived separately; they even had separate toilets. Today they’ve managed to overcome all that. But here, nothing changes.”
Emre used to want to become a carer for the elderly – but he no longer has dreams for the future. The bakery where he used to work to makes ends meet was destroyed. Now Emre’s priority is to simply survive.
But he will certainly be voting. “I’m going to vote even if I…
Source : france24
