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In the weeks leading up to Turkey’s tightest election in two decades, few of the 64 million eligible voters turned up at the polls to predict the outcome.
They went to the astrologer.
A few weeks ago, Dincer Guner, a famous astrologer, carefully examined the birth charts of the Turkish republic (founded on October 29, 1923) and its presidential candidates. The results, announced in a YouTube video, are clear: Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the main opposition candidate, will win the presidential election, ending President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s 20-year rule.
Mr. Kilicdaroglu’s supporters rejoiced. But Mr. Guner is only one among the celebrity astrologers who give predictions in Turkey. He enjoys a large following on social media, offering hope for clarity amid uncertainty from shocking election polls, a cost-of-living crisis and the aftermath of February’s devastating earthquake that killed more than 50,000 people in Turkey and devastated millions. million souls. .
Another famous astrologer, Meral Guven, known to accurately predict the national football championship, predicted an election win for Mr Erdogan, saying he would rule Turkey “until the day he dies and even after that.”
Election predictions are part of the spiritualism that is common in Turkish society, where people read the future in coffee shops, consult fortune-tellers before major decisions or visit the tombs of ancient mystics to make wishes.
Even top politicians seek heavenly guidance: Mr. Kilicdaroglu wears a martenitsa, or “ribbon,” on his right wrist, to avoid being tied when his wish comes true. When supporters asked him last month what he wanted, he replied, “It’s a secret everyone knows.”
Astrology serves as a balm in a country where a powerful government has eroded many people’s sense of control, according to Feyza Akinerdem, a sociology lecturer at Bogazici University in Istanbul.
“Individuals are sprayed by the grip of the state in Turkey,” said Mrs. Akinerdem. “Belief in astrology is one way to retain the strength to live on your own, especially in these turbulent times.”
Mr. Guner, Mr Twitter account has more than 700,000 followers, points to 2018, when the Turkish currency began to lose value, as the beginning of a new increase in interest in astrology as people sought financial advisors. “People are increasingly asking about where they should invest their savings, whether the exchange rate will advance,” Mr. Guner said in an interview.
“I refuse to give a precise answer because financial astrology is not my field of expertise,” he said.
Mr. Guner should choose his words carefully, especially in politics, because insulting the president is a criminal offense in Turkey and the free media is generally muzzled. Although he predicted defeat for Mr Erdogan, Mr Guner has warned the political opposition not to repeat the mistakes of Turkey’s short-lived coalition government in the 1990s, an era characterized by political strife and economic problems, as his readings show a similar pattern. for the country over the next two years.
While the political season keeps them busy, astrologers say they expect more important questions once the elections are over.
“I miss people asking me about my love life,” she said.
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