President Erdogan speaks to his supporters, Istanbul, July 16, 2016.Depo/Press Association. All rights reserved.Turkey is set for a tough referendum campaign period as parties take to the stage to persuade the electorate to vote “yes” or “no” for the April 16 referendum about a new presidential system. President Erdoğan also stated that the referendum should be seen as a “response” to the 15 July 2016 coup attempt in Turkey, claiming that “the position of those who will say ‘no’ in the referendum could mean siding with July 15.”
Following this speech, supporters of ‘NO’ accused Erdogan of polarizing the people in Turkey. However, far from being a crime, polarization has become the most important strategy of politics for Erdogan. Erdogan's polarization strategy is shaped by the AKP’s history and how this approach responds to the public.
‘We see him as one of us’
‘The president’s backers often cite three main reasons for his popularity and that of his party, the AKP. The first is social: Erdoğan is perceived to be a man of the people, a representative of the lower and lower-middle classes, who felt ignored by his predecessors. “The thing is, before Erdoğan the presidents didn’t value people,” said a man who called himself Ismail, waving an AKP flag. “But Erdoğan cares about them. That’s the main thing. We see him as one of us.”’
