First-time voters may have decisive say in Turkish election

Efe is one of more than 6 million first-time voters expected to cast ballots in the May 14 election. Roughly 10% of the electorate, their votes could prove critical in deciding whether Erdogan's rule continues into a third decade or comes to an end.

Human Rights Watch, in a 2022 report, said thousands of people have faced arrest and prosecution every year in Turkey for social media posts, typically charged with defamation, insulting the president, or spreading terrorist propaganda.Efe said he had been apathetic about the elections and politics"like many young people", but was now excited to vote and attracted by the promises of Kilicdaroglu and his Republican People's Party , one of six parties allied against Erdogan.

Sensing their best chance yet of unseating Erdogan, his opponents are promising to reverse many of his signature policies, including abolishing the all-powerful presidency seen by critics as a symbol of his drive to wield ever greater control.Erdogan's share of the vote among young and first-time voters is forecast to be lower than among other age groups, said Erman Bakirci from pollster Konda Arastirma.

Erdogan has championed the youth in his campaign while also criticising them for failing to appreciate how Turkey's economy has developed on his watch, harking back to more difficult times before the AK Party came to power. Emre Orgun, a 22-year-old who works in the information technology department of a textile company in Istanbul, said he would be voting for Erdogan because he did not think the opposition could manage Turkey as well as the veteran leader.

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