Turks Across the West Wring Hands as Vote Looms
The founder of Turkey, Ataturk, would never say yes to this." — Akin Caldiran, 82, a retired veteran of the Turkish
military in Lansing, Mich. "I am not going to vote, as I believe it is not going to make a difference.
I believe that he is a blessing for Turkey, considering the old Turkey
that was everything but democratic and fair to their own citizens." — Zuleyha Baran, 40, a translator in Mannheim, Germany.
"I am not bothered to vote, as I do not believe that this election would make any difference.
In some European countries with large Turkish populations, tensions have been high recently: Officials from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s party, known in Turkey as the A.K.P., tried to campaign in Germany
and the Netherlands and, when rebuffed, responded with a stream of harsh insults.
If I believed that this was a fair election, though, I would vote ‘no.’ I think it is too
late to get on board the democracy train again." — Hakan Gokce, 42, a teacher in London.
The Turkish Republic in every period has been faced with coups." — Ayse Tusem Gungor, 20, a student from Antwerp, Belgium (translated from Turkish).
