Countdown to the referendum

The countdown has started. Can the country go down a one-man rule - however it might be described - or will the nation, despite the massive and official pro-"Yes" campaign, say it will not succumb to it and agree on giving up parliamentary democracy despite all its deficiencies? Regardless of what is said by both sides, there is an increasing excitement and some degree of confusion. Days before the crucial vote, public opinion polls show that there is an at least 20 percent undecided camp. Can that be normal just less than two weeks before a crucial vote? 

Why do people, less than 15 days before the crucial vote and irrespective of what might be the real opinion, prefer to hide their preferences when interviewed by pollsters? At Ankara's Çankaya district, for example, if someone in one of those luxurious cafes tries to hide their "No" vote and says they are undecided; the reason behind it is very clear. One might be a top business personality with luxurious deals with the ruling elites, aware of how contracts might be immediately axed if they stepped on some toes, and out of "convenience" compelled to hide political preference until they are in the ballot box. If at the same café, someone not in a business relationship with the ruling elites prefers not to disclose their "yes" vote, most likely they will be under what is called peer pressure or atmosphere of fear.

When interviewed by pollsters in the downtown Ulus district or at the Yüzüncüyıl neighborhood of Ankara, if people claim they are undecided, most probably they are inclined to vote "no" but are scared of consequences of revealing their true colors. Could they face the risk of being accused of belonging to Fethullah Gülen's "terrorist organization?" Could they be kicked out of official...