‘69 percent of Turkey’s population don’t want a political rector’

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Since President and ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan appointed Prof. Melih Bulu as the new rector of Boğaziçi University in early January, both the students and faculty members have been harshly criticizing and protesting this appointment.

The students and academics are against the appointment of Bulu for a series of reasons. Bulu has been appointed from outside the community of Boğaziçi University without any electoral process and there are allegations of plagiarism about his previous academic works.

Moreover, in 2002, he founded the Sarıyer Organization of the AKP in İstanbul and, in 2015, he was a candidate for nomination to run in the Parliamentary elections for the AKP in İstanbul's first election district.

Half of AKP voters don't approve

Against this background and amid the ongoing protests and ensuing police intervention against the students and their detention by the police, Metropoll Research company asked citizens about their opinions.

As part of its public survey, the company asked citizens, "Do you approve it if people from political parties/ politicians such as former MPs or former MP candidates are appointed as university rectors?"

While 69 percent of the participants answered "No", 20.2 percent said "Yes" and 10.8 percent said that "they had no idea or answer."

When the ones who disapproved are considered in terms of their party affiliations and voting behavior, it is seen that 50.6 percent of the ruling AKP voters, 90.2 percent of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) voters, 85.1 percent of the İYİ Party voters, 85.1 percent of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) voters and 63.8 percent of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) voters answered this question with "No".

'Rectors should be determined by faculty members'

When the respondents were asked, "How do you think rectors should be determined", 73 percent said, "Faculty members of universities should elect their rectors themselves." 17.9 percent said that "rectors should be appointed by the President," which is the current system in Turkey.

The respondents were also asked, "Do you agree that universities should be administratively and academically independent/ autonomous?" 75 percent answered in the affirmative while 15.7 percent disagreed.

'Even the ruling party voters are disturbed'

Özer Sencar, the founder and executive of the company, has shared the results on his social media account, attaching the following note:

"Amid the recent developments in Boğaziçi University, we have surveyed the people's opinions about the rector appointments and the administration of universities. It is quite clearly understood that even the voters of the ruling party are seriously disturbed by the incidents."

Boğaziçi üniversitesinde yaşananlar üzerine, halkın rektör atamalarına ve üniversitelerin yönetimine yönelik görüşlerini araştırdık. İktidar seçmenlerinin bile olanlardan ciddi rahatsız olduğu çok net anlaşılıyor. pic.twitter.com/GtLtfMg90a

— Ozer Sencar (@ozersencar1) February 3, 2021

(SO/SD)