Because of the increasing complexity in governing the urban, politicians are more willing to choose micro-campaigns in elections. For instance, one of the successes of Donald Trump's election campaign was using micro-campaigns via mobilizing all groups separately at the cost of presenting nonsense election promises such as banning all Muslims entering the United States or building a wall on Mexico's southern border. Nevertheless, there are also lots of successfully implemented examples of micro-campaigns not falling into the trap of populism. For instance, even if populist election campaigns have been very common in France, Macron presented a positive agenda during his election campaign and won the election.
Transformation of election campaigns in Turkey
It is obvious that Turkey can be one of the countries using and showcasing effective and successful micro-campaigns. The Justice and Development Party (AK Party), at this stage, can be the pioneer of micro-campaigns in Turkish politics. As was indicated by President Erdoğan and party officials, the party has left traditional campaign methods such as filling the streets with flags and posters and playing campaign songs in order not to cause environmental, visual and noise pollution. President Erdoğan also emphasized that other parties should also implement these rules to lead an eco-friendly election campaign.
The AK Party's step is very meaningful for the design of future election campaigns. It will create consciousness about visual and noise pollution not only among politicians but also the wider population. At the end of the day, it may become a model for election campaigns in other countries. Because of this reason, the AK Party's decision for this coming local election campaign requires a comprehensive analysis.
The AK Party's election campaign
As underlined by party officials, the AK Party is also working on maximizing other aspects that support the overall campaign. The primary issue is the preparation of an election manifesto to present the party's plans for the next term and promises to the voters. At this stage, it is possible to see a further emphasis on "social municipality" and "cultural municipality" providing a basis for the AK Party's municipal administration.
As part of the micro-campaign strategy, each candidate may design an individual electoral campaign within the boundaries of the general rules and regulations of the party. Since each electoral district has different social, economic and cultural aspects, these intrinsic electoral campaigns may contribute to overall success.
Even if the AK Party contributes to the transformation of traditional election campaigns, it is obvious that it will continue to use some of these traditional methods to reach the voters. As it was highly used by the party in previous elections, the most common persuasion tactic is face-to-face communication with voters and will be a major key for AK Party's success in local elections. President Erdoğan also underlined that party candidates should pay attention to these face-to-face meetings rather than conducting a campaign only on social media. This means that the AK Party will use traditional methods and contemporary models together to create a more effective campaign to attract voters.
[Daily Sabah, 19 January 2019]