Uzan is a unique case in Turkish politics. He used to be one of the country's richest entrepreneurs and media moguls, until he founded the GP in 2002, only 78 days before the general elections held in that year. The winner of the ballots would be the incumbent Justice and Development Party (AKP), of course, but Uzan did pretty well on his part; to the surprise of many, and thanks to his relentless and expensive campaign, he gained seven percent of the votes. That success did not bring him any seats in Parliament because of the 10 percent national threshold, but it earned him a reputation and gave inspiration to his followers. And now Uzan is back with his famous white shirts, over-confident claims, and sweet promises.

I spent quite some time during the last two days in one of Uzan's extravagant buses, which was touring several cities and towns of the Black Sea region such as Samsun, Ordu and Trabzon. Hazelnuts are a crucial product in this area, and the fact that the AKP government stopped subsidizing it has created popular resentment. Uzan's convoy presents posters that claim, “Nuts will be YTL eight,” and constantly plays his election tune, “Dağ Başını Duman Almış,” a classic Turkish march of patriotism. His party's emblem is an adoption of the Turkish flag.

The nationalist symbols are there for a reason, and you can grasp that in the first minute you start listening to Uzan. He is very critical of the European Union and Turkey's EU bid, the IMF, and all those “foreign powers” that don't allow Turkish peasants all the subsidies they deserve from their state. The AKP government, according to Uzan, is trapped in the hands of these foreigners and it is only a defiant leader such as himself who can break the spell and implement fresh ideas. Those ideas include the abolition of “ÖSS,” i.e. the central examination system for universities and colleges.

Critics think that Uzan's promises sound all fine – but they are hardly realistic. Yet they seem to be gaining popularity, to a level that has forced Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal and Democrat Party (DP) leader Mehmet Ağar to imitate some of them.

In Line With The Military

Economy is not the only issue Uzan speaks about. On foreign policy, and especially Iraq, he sounds quite hawkish, and in line with Turkey's top generals who wish to occupy the northern part of that country to smash the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), and perhaps also the rest of the Kurds. In an interview he gave to OTR, Ordu's local TV channel, Uzan said if he comes to power he will do whatever the military asks for “without any reservation or restraint.” He also accused the AKP government for “not standing against the PKK, but the military.”

At a dinner in Ordu, I asked Uzan what he thinks about the Kurdish problem of Turkey itself and how he plans do deal with it. “The only problem relating to that is the terrorism problem,” he said, “and that's what we are going to solve right away.” I asked whether the suppression of the Kurdish identity might have something to do with the root causes of the trouble. I got the answer from one of the senior members of the party. “There is only one identity in Turkey,” said İsmet Kalafatoğlu, their number one Ankara candidate for Parliament. That was, of course, the Turkish identity.

I also asked Uzan about issues relating to religious freedom – such as the fate of the Halki Seminary of the Greek Orthodox Partiarchate or the right to wear a headscarf on campus – but these were not the issues he wanted to comment on.

Which all seemed to support the general perception that Uzan's GP is a nationalist party. But it is different from the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), which has traditionally represented the nationalist vote in Turkey. MHP is gray, dry and rural. The blue-eyed and white-collared Uzan and his witty messages present a more modern and urban outlook. Faces in his party such as the well-educated and articulate Arzu Karakadılar (32), who both organizes his campaign and is running for Parliament from İzmir, also hints that this is not your grandfather's type of patriotism. Karakadılar actually rejects that they are an isolationist party and that they only create a good blend of nationalism, conservatism and secularism. If you think that these are irreconcilable try lending an ear to Uzan and his enthusiastic supporters. They think they represent Turkey's future, and they may be partly right.