MHP likely to expel Fethiye Mayor over Controversial Billboards

[Scunner]

"The Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) said it may expel the mayor of Fethiye from the party over a controversial Eid al-Adha greeting that decorated Fethiye billboards.

The message, which the mayor later said was made to offer a criticism of the government's recently announced democratization package, included an Eid greeting in Kurdish, followed by the question, “You understand, don't you?” in Turkish; immediately under that it read, “This is why we are for one nation, one country, one language, one flag, one state.”


Full Story - Today's Zaman

[Colwyn]

Perhaps I should start this in another thread, but I find it difficult to understand why Fethiye should be an island of nationalist MHP support isolated in the general sea of Mugla province CHP sentiment. Can anyone offer some political analysis of this?

[Cheryl]

I do  not claim to be an expert on Turkish politics, but I was told by a Turkish friend that the government have been encouraging Syrians and refugees from other places into Turkey, Giving them money, giving them houses, and in exchange asking for their votes.
They have been placing these people in the coastal areas where the Turks are more likely to understand politics and are more likely to vote against the government.  The majority of inland Eastern Turks are farming people and will believe what they are told. Although they all Support Atta Turk they do not seem to realize that the good he did in bringing the Turkish people into modern times will be undone by the return of dictatorship.

[Ray1951]

Cheryl, I wonder if David Cameron's reluctance to stand up to the EU in relation to immigrants, particularly the Bulgarian & Romanian immigrants due to come to the UK from Jan 1st, could carry the same underhanded tact - give them something they want and they'll vote for us??  Very clever, not nice but clever.

[Scunner]

How ridiculous. One of the main parts of the EU is the freedom of movement for workers between member states. There is nothing Cameron could do about it.

If he wanted to get a higher percentage of the vote he would be better to support Scottish Independence, and get rid of Scotland from the UK parliament, where his party lost 58-1 last election.

But he is against it.

[lissa]

I think after next year that Akyaka(Gokova) will then be under Ula province and so then AK party? Not sure what Ortaca is, which will swallow up Dalyan. And in Kalkan, they will be under Kas, though this is of course Antalya province. What about the villages inbetween Fethiye and Kalkan, which Belediye will they be with? Maybe quite clever to shift the politics in your favour,but  just another political controlling move by Erdogan.