In the first round of the Turkish election, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan received 49.52 percent of the vote, while the leader of the Republican People's Party, Kilicdaroglu, secured 44.88 percent.
Sinan Ogan of the Ancestral Alliance came in third with 5.15 percent of the votes. The extremely anti-Syrian refugees candidate was the kingmaker in the second round. He announced that he supports Erdogan, who ended up securing victory in the second round.
Setting aside alliances and internal Turkish politics, this article focuses on the Syrian issue, particularly that of Syrian refugees in Turkey and the presence of racist discourse that permeated election campaigns and the potential effects of this discourse on the post-election period.
Kilicdaroglu — known for his inflammatory rhetoric against refugees — led a campaign that used rhetoric that transcended racism, delving into the realms of hatred and incitement, even featuring advertisements advocating for the deportation of Syrians.
Although he managed to garner support from several high-ranking members of the parties involved in the six-party alliance, this inciteful rhetoric prompted some parties to pull out of the alliance.
After the first round of the elections — where no candidate managed to secure more than 50 percent plus one of the votes — the level of racist rhetoric against Syrian refugees intensified.
Turks have clearly become increasingly frustrated with the presence of three million refugees in the country of 85 million. So, it was only natural that it became a campaign issue in this election — leading to a notable shift in the style of discourse used by both candidates.
Syrians still back Erdogan despite campaign rhetoric and deportations
Despite this, a significant portion of the Syrian population in Turkey has expressed support for Erdogan. This includes those who have acquired Turkish citizenship and are eligible to vote (more than 130,000), as well as those who are not Turkish citizens but fear an uncertain future if Erdogan fails to secure the presidency.
Read more: Syrian refugees in Turkey express worry ahead of crucial vote
Some opinion leaders and influential figures — particularly Islamists — have called upon all Turkish citizens of Syrian origin to vote for Erdogan, emphasising that doing otherwise would favour the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
However, it is important to recall that the policy of deporting Syrians began several years ago under the direction of Erdogan himself. In recent years, tens of thousands of individuals have been forcibly returned to Syria, despite the Turkish government's attempt to portray these actions as "voluntary" returns.
