On the eve of the second round of the presidential elections in Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan chose to bow on Saturday in front of the grave of his political model, the Islamic nationalist who was hanged by the army. It is quite symbolic of the head of state, 69, being given the favorite despite twenty years of power against his CHP opponent, Social Democrat Kemal Kilicdaroglu, 74.
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Adnan Menderes, the emblematic figure of the Turkish conservative right, brought the end of the 1950s to the reign of Mustafa Kemal’s secular Republican People’s Party. AtatürkThe father of modern Türkiye. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was exhausted and tired, weakened by the economic crisis and the repercussions of the February 6 earthquake, caused the surprise by winning 49.5% of the votes on May 14, compared to 45% for his rival.
sequel after announcement
Polling stations opened on Sunday, May 28 at 8:00 am and the first results are expected in the early evening. But this time, the CHP intends to spread “Five observers per ballot box, not one or two … That’s a million people to ensure security.” from voting.
Don’t forget the second round.
Kemal Kilicdaroglu, at the head of a six-party coalition, from the nationalist right to the left, somehow tried to mobilize his forces, including on his right. His supporters took to the streets of major cities to drop leaflets on buildings demanding that residents vote on Sunday: “Neighbour, don’t forget the second round on May 28th”.
On Saturday, Istanbul’s famous CHP mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, will speak in the capital. But unlike the outgoing president, who was omnipresent on the stands and on television, Kemal Kilicdaroglu had to fight hard to make his voice heard throughout the country. According to Reporters Without Borders, the public television channel TRT was awarded Sixty times the airtime. Mr. Erdogan from his rival during the campaign.
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“stay in power”
On Friday evening, live on Fox, Mr. Kilicdaroglu once again denounced the blocking of his SMS “Ordered by Erdogan” By BSK, TRA.
sequel after announcement
President’s camp “Strive by all means to stay in power”charged: “Take control of all (that) enterprises of 85 million people, not just one man”.
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At the same time, the head of state charged on TRT Western media is always trying to create fake news.. However, the accounts are favorable to him after rallying the third man in the first round, Sinan Ogan, an ultra-nationalist who won with 5.2% of the vote.
To flatter this voters, his final campaign trip was to the grave of former Prime Minister Menderes, who was overthrown in a military coup in 1960 and hanged a year later. Accused of ordering anti-Greek pogroms in Istanbul in 1955, Menderes used Islam as a political tool, reinstating the call to prayer in Arabic and reopening thousands of closed mosques.
The head of state said in January that presidential elections would be held 73 years after Menderes’ victorywhose model inspired the conservative Islamist Justice and Development Party that has accompanied its rise since the first decade of the twenty-first century.
sequel after announcement
“I shout to every member of my nation: Not without you! » Mr. Erdogan tweeted on Saturday morning.
Anti-Syrian sentiments
On the other hand, Mr. Kilicdaroglu, who called for calm before the first round, strengthened his rhetoric and played on anti-Syrian sentiments in part of the country. Home to at least 3.4 million Syrian refugees (according to official data) and hundreds of thousands of Afghans, Iranians and Iraqis, Turkey is the world’s first host country.
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Especially in the southern border of Syria, which was badly damaged by the earthquake, the candidate promised to “The return of the Syrians” the year after his election. The pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) reiterated its unconditional support for him, despite Mr. Kilicdaroglu’s dubious affinity for an ultra-nationalist, anti-Kurdish, and xenophobic party.
Erdogan was never an option for us.One of the leaders of the HDP, Pervin Buldan, confirmed. While from the bottom of his cell, the party’s main figure, Selahattin Demirtas, said on Twitter: “There is no third round in this case! Let’s make Mr. Kilicdaroglu president, and let Turkey breathe. Go to the polls, vote!”
