Generation Erdogan
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More than 5 million young Turks to vote for the first time

Some 5.2 million young Turks will vote for the first time in the May 14 presidential and legislative elections, and they could be key to deciding the country’s future.
Some 5.2 million young Turks will vote for the first time in the May 14 presidential and legislative elections, and they could be key to deciding the country’s future.

Some 5.2 million young Turks will vote for the first time in the May 14 presidential and legislative elections, and they could be key to deciding the country’s future

They are called Generation Z and they have known only one leader: Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

While some are hoping for a change in leadership, others want to see Erdogan and his Islamic conservative Justice and Development Party (AKP) returned to power. They face a choice on May 14 between Erdogan and three challengers: opposition alliance candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu; Muharrem Ince, who ran against Erdogan in the 2018 elections; and far-right candidate Sinan Ogan.

Erdogan once dreamed of raising a "pious generation”. But many young Turks are looking to free themselves from the shackles of religion and enjoy more civic freedoms. According to a recent poll cited by AFP, only 20 percent of 18- to 25-year-olds plan to vote for the president and his AKP party in the presidential and legislative elections on May 14.

© France24 2023

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