"The politicians of this country did not understand that we had changed": in Turkey, an atmosphere of end of reign

[This report is taken from our special issue “Where is Turkey going? » available in newsstands, 100 pages, €8.90 and on boutique.lemonde.fr]

But why are they laughing like that, pulling on their cigarettes between two Turkish delights? The café-patisserie where the three friends met at the end of the afternoon is rather chic for the neighborhood, a noisy crossroads in Keçiören, a conservative and not very well-off municipality, north of Ankara. The floor-to-ceiling windows are wide open and they've settled along the edge of the busy street.

Esra, Sule and Hayriye are well into their forties, can't stop smoking and talking. The first two wear the veil, the other does not. They order tea again, and off you go, another plate of Turkish delight, with the money they don't have. “If my brother saw me,” Esra said, “he would say to me as usual, 'What? You tell me you can't pay your rent, I'll help you, and you're there at the cafe eating cakes? The other two laugh even more. No way for them to give up these delicious moments of slumming: “What else do we have left? »

The three girlfriends were fans of Recep Tayyip Erdogan. They voted several times for this Islamo-conservative nationalist who was mayor of Istanbul, before being elected prime minister and then president, and then amending the Constitution so as to move from the parliamentary system to a presidential system by which he is is granted the role of autocratic head of state – without achieving the dictatorship he would have dreamed of. Because in this immense country which, over 1,500 kilometres, stretches from the European continent to the borders of Asia, torn between its different cultural identities, made up of strong ethnic or religious minorities and populations with contrary aspirations, Turkish society does not don't let it go. Like, at their level, the three rascal girlfriends. He and his ruling party, the AKP (Justice and Development Party), they no longer believe in it and they no longer want it.

Esra is married without children, Sule and Hayriye are divorced. Hayriye, mother of three student daughters, is employed in a company, and inflation is such that the monthly minimum wage she receives (2,825 Turkish liras, or 262 euros) is not far below the poverty line – estimated for a family of four at 10,299 pounds, or 956 euros). “Life is tough,” she says. “Before, adds Esra, we couldn't find the products in stores. Now that they're all here, we can't afford to buy them. If by chance you get a job, the salary is not enough. My husband scavenges and resells the loot to recyclers. “The government thinks only of its pockets! continues Sule, whose long false eyelashes give her veil a naughty air. I voted for the AKP, I even campaigned and worked for the AKP! I regret it and for me it's over. »

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