How Turkey's election is playing out in the earthquake zone

On February 6, powerful earthquakes shook large regions in southern Turkey and northern Syria. More than 50,000 people lost their lives in Turkey alone, according to official figures.

Three months after the disaster, many people still don't have a place to stay, and water supply networks as well as electricity have not yet been restored everywhere. All the same, locals have been called to the ballot box on Sunday.

Kahramanmaras: 'Erdogan always leads the way!'

The southeastern Turkish city of Kahramanmaras, which was at the epicenter of February's earthquakes, is considered a key AKP stronghold. In the 2018 presidential election, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan won 74% of the vote there. It's unlikely the incumbent will see support wane on May 14 because of the disaster.

"Our leader Erdogan always leads the way," said Fatma Topaktas, a flower seller, adding she sees nothing at all to be dissatisfied with. She had to sleep in her car for four days after the quakes but never lacked food or medicine, and said Erdogan took immediate action after the earthquakes. "He helped everyone. Who sent all this food? Thanks to our president, we are where we are today," said Topaktas.

The disaster won't hurt Erdogan's chances of victory, said an elderly man who is retired and asked to remain anonymous. To the contrary, he said he is certain Erdogan will win again in Kahramanmaras.

"The earthquake has made him stronger because our ministers, our deputies, our Erdogan took care of us, they work around the clock to help us, they mobilized everything they had to that end," said the retiree.

Wary of cooperation with the Kurds

Across Turkey, the opposition is on the rise — but not in Kahramanmaras. Erdogan's biggest rival, CHP chairman Kemal Kilicdaroglu, has entered into a strategic cooperation with Kurdish parties, a move people particularly don't agree with. Many Kurdish voters support the joint opposition candidate of six political parties. Even Selahattin Demirtas, a leading Kurdish politician who has been in prison for years, urged Kurds to vote for the CHP chairman.

"People voiced some criticism of Erdogan before the earthquake, but the fact that Kilicdaroglu's CHP is joining forces with the Kurdish party broke our people's hearts," said Osman Bertiz, who runs a nut shop in the center of town. That's why many are in favor of Erdogan's AKP once again, he said. People also don't like Kilicdaroglu's plans, should he win the presidency, to make sure that political prisoners are released.

Aid: Too little, too late

Slowly, life in Kahramanmaras seems to be returning to normal. Stores are open and the city center is bustling. "We could use more hygiene products, but the situation has improved a bit," said Kahramanmaras resident Serap Acikgoz. Medical care is still erratic because the hospital collapsed in the earthquakes and has not been rebuilt, Acikgoz added.

In the areas hit hardest by the earthquakes, many people said there was too little aid and it arrived too late. But it seems that wasn't the case in Kahramanmaras. "Believe me, great aid arrived here after the earthquakes," said a local who did not want to give his name. "Some say people despaired because of the government's failures, but that's simply not true."

Hatay: Disappointment, anger, frustration

The situation is very different in Hatay, a city near the Syrian border. There, many people were critical of the government, saying some cities — not including Hatay — were given priority when it came to aid deliveries.

The city center feels deserted: the streets have been cleared, but the demolition of many badly damaged buildings has not yet begun. Construction vehicles on the streets are few and far between, with many state-owned construction machines employed elsewhere.

Hatay has 1.62 million registered voters, but apart from a few election posters scattered across town, the upcoming election does not appear to play a role in daily life. About 700,000 people left Hatay after the quake, said Hikmet Cincin, president of the local Chamber of Commerce and Industry, though he added that many want to return to vote. Many of the schools that usually would have been used as polling stations were damaged, so ballot boxes will be set up in schoolyards.

'We don't want to hear about the election'

Few people in Hatay even mention the election, because they are struggling with their difficult living conditions. Many in Hatay still lack clean water, clothing and hygiene articles.

Gulcan Durur, a nurse who barely survived the earthquakes, could hardly hide her anger and despair. "It's hard to breathe here. Our home is gone, our life is gone, our standard of living is gone," Durur told DW, adding she has no hopes that much will be done to help Hatay after the vote.

Who knows whether the Hatay locals will even show up to vote, said Durur's husband, Mehmet. "We have lost everything — our homes, our families, streets, memories and neighbors," said the teacher. "Along come the election promises [...] But we don't want to hear about the election. While we suffer, everyone else is thinking only of their own interests." The earthquakes changed his mind on who to vote for, he said, but he did not elaborate.

"We were discriminated against after the earthquake. They just let us die," said Edip Dal, who has lived in a tent since the earthquake. "I will not forgive those in power for that."

Neslihan Oduncu and her two children have huddled under a tarp since the earthquakes three months ago. "We haven't had water for three days. We have no electricity, no toilets. There are showers now, but we can't use them yet," the housewife said. "We also have a right to live! For the children in particular, this is a disaster — they can't go to school, they are increasingly falling behind."

Frustrated, many will cast their vote on Sunday — but under the current circumstances the elections are not a priority for the people of Hatay, said Oduncu.

This article was originally written in German.