Pigeons fly in front of a large election poster of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul,Turkey, June 22, 2018. (Reuters photo)
ISTANBUL, June 22 (Xinhua) -- The Democracy Square in Besiktas, one of the most crowded districts of Istanbul, was turned into a festive area adorned by colorful party flags, banners, and posters of presidential candidates, as the elections loomed.
Flyers were fluttering around the crowd in harmony with party songs played on loudspeakers on a shiny afternoon.
When the music stopped, some party members started distributing the brochures to young voters to plead with their support, by explaining their vision of the future for this country.
This was a scene of the heated campaigning for the parliamentary and presidential elections due on June 24.
The expectations for the future among the youths appeared to be similar: a free, democratic and economically strong country where the rule of law prevails.
"I am dreaming of a Turkey which stands on its own, a country which produces, a country which is not dependent on others to survive," Muhammet Celik, 24, told Xinhua.
He predicted the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) will get the majority in the parliament, while its candidate Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the incumbent president, will receive over 50 percent of votes in the first round of the presidential election.
For Ender Tanyeli, a 23-year-old member of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), the atmosphere at the square was very democratic and promising for the future of the country.
"This is a square where democracy really predominates," he told Xinhua in front of his party's booth.
"It reflects what the young Turks really want to have in the future. They all dream of a country open to all kinds of arguments," Tanyeli noted.
Nazli Oyler, a 19-year-old student, said she dreams of a Turkey where she can freely express her thoughts.
Yusuf Carmi, 18, who is going to cast his vote for the first time, imagines a country where there will be pure "justice, democracy and peace."
Cemil Kosedag, the district head of the Nationalist Movement Party, told Xinhua that they have been working hard for a peaceful Turkey in line with the demands of the Turkish youths.
"To achieve our goal we need to have a strong and powerful government and for that, we need the votes of the young people," Kosedag said.
"As you can see, there is a real fraternity here as all the parties are doing their own publicity campaigns next to each other," he explained. "This is something really assuring to the youths."
For Nursena Ulusoy, a young deputy candidate of the Felicity Party, equality and justice will be the most important concepts that they will work on in the future.
"We will also do our best to eliminate all kinds of polarization and discrimination," she added.
In the upcoming elections, the minimum eligible age of people to be elected as parliament members has been lowered to 18 years old, down from 25 years old previously.
"There are nearly 10 million young voters and they should be represented in the parliament," Ravza Kavakci, deputy chair of AKP and a member of parliament, said on Wednesday in a meeting with foreign press in Istanbul.
"They are important to us. They have their own vision and they are excited," Kavakci noted.
In her view, they do not have a burden from Turkey's past so that they have a brighter vision.
A total of 59 million eligible Turkish voters will cast their votes on June 24 to elect their new president among the six presidential candidates. A total of 10 political parties will also compete for 600 seats in the parliament.
