ISTANBUL: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his main opponent, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, held rival rallies on Sunday, ahead of Turkey’s crucial May 14 election.
Erdogan spoke to a crowd of flag-waving supporters in a central Ankara square, demanding a “crushing victory” and predicting that his nation would eliminate Kilicdaroglu and his six-party opposition alliance from the political scene.
Kilicdaroglu, on the other hand, held his rally along the embankment of the opposition-controlled Aegean city of Izmir, where he walked out on stage with his wife, Selvi. He told the cheering crowd that these elections are a chance to “rebuild our democracy” and bring peace and brotherhood to the country.
Turkey’s election on May 28
The upcoming election is too close to call, and the country is likely heading for a runoff on May 28. Erdogan’s strongman image was shaken earlier this week when he was sidelined due to an illness, but he has since bounced back strongly.
Kilicdaroglu and his multi-faceted alliance are posing Erdogan’s toughest election challenge since his Islamic-rooted party first came to power in 2002.
The massive turnout at both rallies is a sign of the huge interest Turks have in the election, which has turned into a referendum on Erdogan’s rule. His party is in danger of losing control of parliament, which it holds through an alliance with an ultra-nationalist group.
In 2019, Erdogan lost landmark municipal votes in Ankara, Istanbul, and Izmir, Turkey’s three biggest and most economically powerful cities. His decision to campaign in all three cities hints at the close nature of the vote.
The election will determine the future of Turkey’s democracy, and the stakes are high for both Erdogan and Kilicdaroglu. Erdogan became leader a year after his party first swept to power, consolidating control as a powerful president under a new constitution in 2018.
The final two weeks of the campaign are likely to be a bruising battle, with both sides making their case to the Turkish people.
