ANKARA: Erdal Besikcioglu, adored in Turkey for his TV role as troubled Ankara police detective Behzat C, will be playing a different role this Sunday when he seeks to win over a conservative suburb of the capital in local elections. In the long-running TV series, Besikioglu plays a complex but ultimately decent man, who, despite being discredited by his superiors, continues to take on a rotten system stuffed with venal officials.

His character is so popular it is hard to tell whether the enthusiastic crowds at his campaign rallies are cheering the candidate or the commissioner. The decision of the main center-left opposition CHP party (Republican People’s Party) to make Besikcioglu its candidate for mayor of Etimesgut surprised many because he had never previously expressed any political ambition.

But the campaign novice has shown a real talent for connecting with voters in the sprawling suburb of 620,000 inhabitants that has been a bastion of the conservatives for two decades. In the cafes of Etimesgut, he greets young locals with a cheery “La!”, Ankara’s version of “Bro” and one of Detective Behzat’s stock phrases.

“I greet people like a family member – the one they welcomed into their homes via their TV screens for all those years,” he explained as he glad-handed shopkeepers in one of Etimesgut’s main streets.

Around him, an adoring crowd of young people and veiled women jostled for a selfie with their hero, who played the part of an idealistic governor in another TV series. For his fans, Besikcioglu is already “our mayor”.

Some pundits compare him to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was a hugely popular actor and comedian before he took on the serious role of running his troubled country. “On screen, I try to portray leaders as they should be. Now the time has come to put those ideas into practice,” Besikcioglu told AFP.

In Etimesgut, the desire for change and fresh faces plays in his favor. “The current mayor is clinging to power, just like Erdogan,” said 56-year-old housewife Derya Egin, in reference to the long-time president Recep Tayyip Erdogan. “We need a change.” Besikcioglu’s critics say he doesn’t have a political plan. “He’s mainly proposing cultural activities. That’s great but it’s not enough,” said a local who asked to remain anonymous.

The election contest between Besikcioglu and incumbent mayor Enver Demirel is set to be a tough fight. But Detective Bezhat says he’s not bothered. “I don’t look at the opinion polls,” he said dismissively. “I’m an artist, first and foremost, for the people here. With God’s help, I’ll be their mayor too.” — AFP