After months of denying the possibility of snap elections vehemently, the Turkish government called for early elections 16 months sooner than planned. One of the likely reasons for this decision was to curtail the time available for the opposition to prepare an effective campaign. The main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) did not announce its candidate until May 4, leaving it merely 50 days on the campaign trail.
In the beginning of the election campaign, not many were hopeful of the new opposition candidate Muharrem Ince, but he and his team have been able to run a calm, positive and witty campaign that makes good use of technology and embraces a diverse public.
In Turkey, where most of the mainstream media is controlled by the government, the appeal of social media is becoming stronger with each election cycle. Ince spoke about his social media team on live TV on a pro-government channel June 9. Ince described the team as “12 well educated and smart young men and women” and said they call themselves the “10th Floor.” Curiosity about them grew.
Al-Monitor communicated with the social media team via email and WhatsApp between June 15-18. The 10th Floor team members, who asked not to be named individually, wrote their answers together. In Turkey, expressing political views — particularly if one does not belong to the political party in control of the government — could cost one dearly.
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