Things are definitely shaking up here in Turkey as the July 22nd election nears. Speculators are claiming that this is the biggest election in Turkey since Atatürk helped form Turkey as an independent country 85 years ago. The election is for the 550 Parliament seats and instead of voting for individual people, you vote for the party and based on that party's percentage of votes, they hold that many seats in Parliament. It's also a big election because as soon as Parliament is decided on July 23rd, those representatives will then elect a President. Turkey is trying to move towards a system where the people get to vote for the President, but currently Parliament members are the only voters. With so many issues on the line, the campaigning has been not stop and out of control. Several times a day we hear a van or bus drive by our apartment blasting their campaign message through speakers on top of the vehicle. Some of the key issues that each party takes a firm stance for or against are: European Union, education, Cyprus, Armenian genocide, ties with America, and the PKK terrorist group. We are excited to be here during this historic event and we look forward to seeing what the future holds for Turkey. Below is one of the common forms of advertising.
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