Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown

Modern Turkey was founded in 1923

on the principles of secular, democratic statehood

after centuries of empire.

It has been the most turbulent year in a decade

of Turkey's political history.

Turkey has set a new course.

One that many hoped would carry it into the European Union.

There's clearly a significant portion

of the Turkish population that's not happy

with the policies

of the democratically elected government.

But things have changed.

They are changing.

You get clashes erupting,

demonstrators throwing rocks.

And what happens next has

implications far beyond Turkey.

It has been a turbulent year for Turkey.

And I arrive in Istanbul at the moment of a critical election.

The question on everyone's mind

is whether the current president and his ruling party

- will win a large enough majority to change - the constitution,

Potentially allowing him to stay in power indefinitely.

These have been good times for some.

Particularly in the construction and

development business.

And fearful ones for others.

They are particularly concerned about what happens next,

for instance, in the Kurdish parts of town.

Our polls are opening.

Turkey's voters choose a new parliament,

- which could lead to big changes in the country's - political system.

The ruling justice and

development parties

expected to take most of the seats.

But how much power the

president actually has

will be determined by the success or failure

of the Kurdish Party.

The HDP, originally a

Kurdish political party,

has sought to unite the disparate voices

calling for change

in response to 13 years of what has essentially been

one-party rule by the AKP.

So history, whatever it might be, is about to happen.

Just in the past hour, polls have closed in the country's

parliamentary elections.

Voters in Turkey have just shaken up the country's

political landscape in a major way.

They said no to placing Recep Tayyip Erdogan

in his push for more power over the constitution.

The ruling AKP party did not

win the majority

its president had hoped for.

In fact, they lost seats in parliament,

and for the first time the pro-Kurdish party

gained enough votes to earn a real voice in the government.

We are at the very tip of

Istanbul next to the black sea,

so the ships that are going by here,

they're basically going to Russia.

I meet an old friend, Esra, for my first meal

back in country.

I know you like your fish with the head and tail.

I do. This is perfect.

I ordered some ruku.

That makes me so happy.

Yes, which is our national drink.

It is aniseed and...

I am familiar with this, all too familiar.

Cheers. Welcome back.

So since I last saw you, which was in 2009.

2009. Wow. Long time ago.

- So Istanbul looks a little different than - last time I was here.

It looks a little more like every other city.

Yeah.

Well, construction.

There seems to be a lot of that going on.

Yes.

Your president likes to build stuff.

Pour concrete.

He keeps the economy going.

Turkey's so much politicized since the last time you came,

like after 2011, the daily life issues

like, um, how many children you should have,

advising women not have laugh out loud in public,

things like this were actually suggested by the government.

Right. Do you think this is coming from

a genuine ideological religious place

or is this a political calculation?

I think it's a genuine.

You're telling me that current leadership is,

in his heart,

is genuinely opposed to alcohol,

women laughing in public?

Um...

maybe I don't feel comfortable answering that question.

Okay.

Turkey's most famous politician, Recep Tayyip

Erdogan.

He is the power

and has been the power in one form or another

for more than a decade.

- He is the face of Turkey's ruling justice and development - party,

The AKP.

Erdogan has in recent years made Islamism politics

mainstream

and while remaining very, very popular in this extremely

polarized nation,

cracked down hard on media, political opposition,

free speech, and, of course, demonstrations.

In 2013, the almost revolution in Turkey happened.

A protest to contest the proposed demolition of

Istanbul's Gezzi Park

resulted in a brutal crackdown by the police.

In response, ordinary Turks unconnected by any ideology

poured into the streets.

With the whole world watching on social media,

they, too, were met with force.

In the end, Erdogan remained firmly in control

and there were repercussions for many who had supported

the protest.

From that point on, media, social media,

even open discussion of issues or events,

became treated as hostile acts by foreign enemies.

- Autocrats, in general, are not famous for their - sense of humor,

So it's no surprise that comedians in Turkey,

like Denise and her fiancé Han,

walk a perilous line.

Are these good times to be a comedian in Turkey?

It's definitely one of the best times

because our former prime minister needs my

support for a living. We don't use the names.

We just call him The Greatness.

Or, you know...

I guess they're running the finals.

The finals. Yes.

But all weight classes.

But it's basically Greco-Roman wrestling.

Just greased up.

- As I understand it, you can't choke with - two hands, only one.

Yes.

But you can just slip your hand...

Right down into some greasy ass crack.

And grab whatever's...

That's OK.

Turkish oil wrestling.

A big freaking salad

covered with oiled men in leather pants,

giving each other spirited and prolonged reach-arounds.

Oh, geez.

Can we get rights to the Barry White greatest hits record or

Diana Ross "Love Hangover," or is that too obvious?

I like to be respectful of ancient tradition,

but the jokes write themselves.

What, there's, like, ropes inside or handles?

Where do I get a pair of those pants?

Those are some super freaky pants.

Did you see the golden belts? It's good, too.

It's got to be because the pants are awesome.

Imagine what the belt looks like.

Does he stop yelling at some point?

The announcer's called "Jasgar."

Yeah.

And in slang, it means person who talks too much.

It's too loud.

It's time for political end.

Lots changed since your last visit.

Obviously the mood has changed a lot,

which is weird because everything

seemed to be going so well.

Things seemed to be getting more tolerant.

Tolerance level is so low these days.

Right.

People taking sides don't like the other one.

These people don't like our kind.

So what happens if someone

doesn't like your joke?

Somebody in a powerful position does not like your comedy.

What happens?

Depending on the degree how

much he doesn't like you,

how much he's offended.

Let's say he's really offended.

You go to jail.

Or being, you know, terrorist or...

Aiding and abetting the enemies of the state.

Yes. Enemy of the state.

Being enemy of the state is most common thing

you can do right now in Turkey.

They're asking for more oil.

More oil, immediately.

Building boom or building bubble.

Architect and city planner Luda Garman

has been capturing Istanbul's construction