Abstract:

The continuation of the deadlock in the Syrian civil war both makes it difficult for the refugees in Turkey to return and increases the possibility of new asylum movements. After the migration of millions of asylum seekers to Turkey there are debates in many areas from determining the legal status of asylum seekers to the cost incurred economically from political polarization to social rejections. In this process, the increasing number of asylum seekers in the cities directly affected the municipalities municipalities have started to carry out activities in various fields such as sheltering asylum seekers and their participation in the job market. Moreover asylum seekers have been a part of the competition between political parties in the election processes that have been experienced frequently in recent years. In the local administration elections held on 31 March 2019 Sunday, it was observed that the effects of asylum seekers were not only limited to the country’s politics but also reflected on local politics. In the article, the effects of asylum seekers on political competition will be examined through the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality elections. In this context first of all basic information about the situation of Syrian asylum seekers in Turkey will be given then the responsibility of municipalities in policies towards refugees will be discussed in legal, administrative and financial dimensions. In the article, the effects of Syrian asylum seekers on political competition will be evaluated based on the data obtained as a result of the content analysis of the candidates discourses and the official documents they published.

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