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Ömer Faruk Akbulut & Edanur Duran
age of 25. It›s a nice system if it can be implemented, but I do not think that it can be
implemented. ‹›
A participant named “Red Storm” from Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University gave his
views as follows:
“Even if I suppose that they may be at the proper age to decide, I think that they do
not have enough knowledge and that it is too early to have objective opinions until at
least one should educate herself/himself a bit more within life in college or social life
and decide accordingly. Age 18 is the age for me to do what one wants to do for so-
ciety now, but it is insufficient for me to have an objective opinion towards the events.
Because I think that it is a condition stemming from newly being graduated from high
school like a fish out of water and learning enough even if one knows something about
life. It may be good not to be objective to talk about by depending on the experiences
which one has in her/his social, cultural life other than her/his individual life and the
experiences in the cities of the eastern and western regions, Because I think it is nec-
essary to have more experience at least even if one improved oneself in spare time
activities and learned more.”
Negative Opinions on Lowering the Age of Selection to 18
Fifteen of the participants have negative view that the lowering of the age of candi-
dacy to 18. Eight from Ahi Evran University and seven from Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt
University have a negative opinion that the candidacy age is reduced to 18.
“Haydar” from Ahi Evran University stated:
“I do not suppose that it is right. Because I think that experience is more important
than knowledge. I think that even if one has the requirements in terms of information,
s/he can experience difficulties in making choices and can make wrong decisions.”
A participant named “Hayat” from Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University expressed his
views as follows:
‹› The law article that lowered the age of candidacy brings out difficulties as well. How
successful are the young who do not have enough sophistication and life experience
in governing the state? With this arrangement we are confronted with the sentences
like «the age of candidacy is 18 in Europe». But when it comes to compare education
which has the greatest influence on state management, everyone is silent, but we all
know the education process that the people who will govern the country in the time of
