Voter uncertainty in Ankara's slum areas

A haze of smoke permanently hangs over Turkey’s low-income areas through the cold weather months. It’s the product of coal-fired ovens used to heat haphazardly built houses, known as "gecekondu" meaning "settled over night." Since President Recep Tayyip Erdogan came into power, the nation’s poorest residents have received free coal to stay warm, but the welfare hasn’t always translated into votes.

On Sunday Turks will vote in a referendum on whether to convert their country’s parliamentary system into a presidential one led by Erdogan and his governing Justice Development Party (AKP). While Erdogan has largely expanded social welfare programs and improved living standards for low-income voters, many people in Ankara’s slums remain undecided on how they’ll vote.

"When my husband was unemployed, I was thinking of how we would get coal. Then AKP gave it to us for free, and that’s when I understood this party is with the poor," Emel Yildirim, left, a mother of three, told DW. "Before it was hard to see a doctor. Now hospitals are more open to accepting poor people," she added.

Yildirim, a Kurd, said she’s also concerned about conflicts between the Turkish state and Kurdish militants. "If Erdogan gets a 'Yes' vote, it could get better. He says he’s with peace," Yildirim said. "But if you ask Selahattin Dermitas [the jailed Kurdish opposition leader], he says Erdogan will drown Kurds in their blood … It’s hard to make a decision."

A campaign banner is used as a couch cover in an alleyway, where mixed feelings over Erdogan prevail. Nearby, Ali, 25, who sells liver sandwiches from his family car, said, "On March 15, they gave people here bags of coal. Why would they do this in the spring? Winter is over. It’s obviously for the votes."

Ali said his main concern was government corruption. "I don’t know if there’s a problem with the system or with the people that use the system," he told DW. "I have the same questions about Islam. Is it the religion or the people who use the religion that cause trouble? I sound like a 'No' voter, but I’m still undecided."

Three-year-old Ayse stands in front of her home. Her mother, who didn’t want to be named or photographed, said she would vote 'Yes' simply because her husband was doing so. Yildirim said her husband, a chef, was also voting 'Yes' because, "he believes whatever Erdogan says is right. He doesn’t ask questions or analyze anything. There’s no arguing with him."

Feride Turhan, right, pictured with her husband Mustafa, left, and their two sons in their living room. Feride said she still doesn’t understand what the referendum is about. "I’m not interested in politics, but I watch the news every day and no one has explained what the referendum is," she told DW. "I still don’t know which amendments are being changed."

Like most residents in Ankara’s slums, Mustafa Turhan (not pictured here), who works the night shift at a vegetable and fruit warehouse, cited safety as his main concern. He said the AKP expanded ambulance service to low-income areas in recent years, but gun violence was increasing. "At night, people with ski masks and AK-47s rob people," Turhan said. "Even 10-year-olds have guns sometimes."

Mustafa also said schools weren’t improving in their neighborhood. "We accept the free coal because the state takes our taxes and it’s our way of getting them back," Mustafa told DW. "But we’d prefer if they invested more in schools so my sons could have better opportunities," like his eldest son, Mert, who is struggling to find work.