Turkey's pervasive president may be wearing out his welcome
"Erdoganmania" is evolving into Erdogan fatigue as he exhausts people with his constant interference in their lives.
Celebrities sometimes suffer the consequences of overexposure, when their audiences turn away, tired of seeing them everywhere. Turkey's ubiquitous president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, appears to be feeling the effects of something similar: Erdogan fatigue.
Erdogan watches public opinion polls closely. His ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) routinely employs polling agencies to check the pulse of the nation, particularly those who identify with the party: That's one of the reasons why Erdogan has been able to claim and supposedly sustain his popularity. These polls are usually just for party insiders' eyes. However, in mid-July, Nuray Babacan from the daily newspaper Hurriyet reported that the results of two polls conducted after the April 16 constitutional referendum were leaked to the press.
One of the polls was about AKP voters' choice on the April 16 referendum, which greatly expanded the powers of the presidency. The poll showed that about 4% to 12% of the AKP base voted against the referendum. Also, Erdogan's fear of losing the youth vote was real: Only 35% of the AKP youth voted for the constitutional amendments.
The overall results of the April 16 referendum weren't pleasant for Erdogan, either; his dubious victory came with a significant loss of major cities, including Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir. Out of 30 major cities, 17 voted no. Also, about 60% of first-time voters voted no. The long-dreaded truth has become clear: Erdogan lost the support of urban youth between the ages of 16 and 25.
