Connect with us

Politics

Turkey’s bitter election battle nears decision day

Turkey’s bitter election battle nears decision day

 


Istanbul (AFP) Turkey on Friday reached the home stretch of a bitter presidential campaign that has seen Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his secular rival exploit fears over Kurdish migrants and militants.

Published on: Amended:

Erdogan appears on track to extend two decades of his Islamic style of rule until 2028 in Sunday’s runoff.

His victory would preserve the key NATO member’s reputation as a problem child who plays on rivalries between Moscow and Washington while pushing his own path in the Middle East.

Secular opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu presented a clear alternative to Erdogan in the first round on May 14.

The former official led an inclusive campaign that pledged to mend ties with Western allies and solve Turkey’s economic problems with orthodox prescriptions rejected by Erdogan.

Presidential election in Türkiye
Presidential election in Türkiye Vincent LEFAÏ / AFP

Kilicdaroglu created a six-party alliance that brought together some of Turkey’s most irreconcilable forces and received crucial support from the Kurds.

It was the type of coalition that Erdogan was good at building while repeatedly winning at the polls.

But Kilicdaroglu still lost nearly five points in what was widely considered Erdogan’s toughest election – and the most important in Turkey’s post-Ottoman history.

“Terrorist Lovers”

The 74-year-old opposition leader disappeared for four days and then reappeared as a transformed man.

He abandoned his calls for social cohesion in the highly polarized country and instead focused on deporting millions of migrants and tackling militants.

Opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu leads a more impactful run-off campaign
Opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu leads a more impactful run-off campaign Can EROK / AFP

“As soon as I come to power, I will send all the refugees home,” Kilicdaroglu said in his first post-election speech.

Erdogan responded along the same lines.

He doubled down on his attempts to make Kilicdaroglu an ally of outlaw Kurdish militants and mocked opposition attempts to talk tough on security issues.

“Until yesterday they were terrorist lovers,” Erdogan said of his rivals this week.

“You are the coward who cooperates with the terrorists,” Kilicdaroglu retorted on Twitter.

Some analysts regard this campaign as Turkey’s dirtiest in recent memory.

“I have followed dozens of campaigns since 1979, and I have never seen the two candidates lie so clearly,” Can Dundar, former exiled editor of the Cumhuriyet newspaper, told AFP. ‘Germany.

Evanescent Reserves

“This is the first time we’ve seen such an insult-filled campaign,” Dundar said.

Most pre-election polls in Turkey underestimated the level of support for Erdogan in the first round.

They now show him leading by five points or more – a margin that has instilled a sense of panic in Turkish financial markets.

Circumstantial evidence shows that Turks are dumping their liras and stocking up on gold and dollars in anticipation of a currency crash after the election.

Presidential battle unfolds during Turkey's worst economic crisis since 1990s
Presidential battle unfolds during Turkey’s worst economic crisis since 1990s OZAN ​​KOSE / AFP

Official data shows Turkey’s central bank burning $25 billion in a month while trying to prop up the lira.

Turkey’s net foreign currency reserves – an important measure of a country’s financial stability – fell into negative territory for the first time since 2002.

And the lira itself hit the $20 mark for the first time on Friday.

A dollar was worth only 4.5 liras when Erdogan won his last national elections in June 2018.

“Doomsday for the Turkish economy and financial markets may be upon us,” warned consultancy firm Capital Economics.

Participation Battle

Kilicdaroglu’s decision to ally himself with a far-right fringe group this week nearly cost him the support of a pro-Kurdish party that accounts for a tenth of the vote in Turkey.

Turnout hits 87% in first round of Turkey's biggest vote in modern times
Turnout hits 87% in first round of Turkey’s biggest vote in modern times Can EROK / AFP

The Kurdish-backed HDP decided on Thursday not to back a ballot boycott because it would only prolong Erdogan’s “one-man rule”.

But HDP co-leader Pervin Buldan made no secret of his frustrations with Kilicdaroglu’s new approach.

“It’s wrong to score political points on immigrants or refugees,” Buldan said.

Erdogan and Kilicdaroglu are now focusing on participation.

“We cannot let the feeling of being ahead drag us into complacency,” Erdogan said at one of his daily rallies on Friday.

“We must have no other plans than to vote on Sunday,” he told his supporters. “Go have your picnic later.”

The turnout in the first round reached a whopping 87%.

The data showed that the participation of the 3.4 million Turks living abroad increased slightly in the second round from 1.7 to 1.9 million.

Many of those voters are descendants of Turks who left poorer provinces for Western Europe and who traditionally support more conservative candidates.

Sources

1/ https://Google.com/

2/ https://www.rfi.fr/en/business-and-tech/20230526-turkey-s-bitter-election-battle-nears-decision-day

The mention sources can contact us to remove/changing this article

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: [email protected]: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos

ExBUlletin

to request, modification Contact us at Here or [email protected]