When a democracy faces a leader or a candidate who sows fear and division to gain power, what is the best response? A good answer can be found in a remarkable election on Sunday in Turkey, where voters chose the antithesis of fear.
The country’s main opposition parties easily won elections in 35 municipalities, notably Istanbul and the capital, Ankara. It was a big defeat for Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the populist president who has held power for 21 years with the rhetoric and actions of an authoritarian. While voters certainly held the president accountable for a bad economy, they also endorsed the opposition’s style of governance – one that embraces Mr. Erdoğan’s supporters out of humility and respect rather than shuns them.
That inclusive, nonpolarizing approach is summed up by the campaign slogans of the main opposition leader, Ekrem İmamoğlu, the mayor of Istanbul: “Everything will be fine” and “Love will win.”
Or as his wife posted on social media after her husband’s reelection by a wide margin: “Love and kindness won.”
Mr. İmamoğlu’s party, the center-left Republican People’s Party, adopted a strategy in 2019 called “radical love.” It is a way of listening to the bread-and-butter concerns of Erdoğan supporters while not reacting to the language of hate coming from the ruling Justice and Development Party.
“This is more than a mayoral election,” Mr. İmamoğlu said during the campaign. “It is consigning a mentality to history.” After his win in Istanbul, he said, “With this election, we have brought democracy out from within us.”
As for the president, he seemed unusually contrite after his party’s major election losses in urban areas. Mr. Erdoğan expressed “respect” for the election results – a big change from his reaction to losses in 2019 – and pledged to exercise “self-criticism.” Perhaps the opposition’s use of love tactics is not so radical.