According to political scientists, the chance of beating President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in next Sunday’s elections is higher than ever. Finally, the various opposition parties have joined forces in an alliance against the head of state. So now their joint top candidate, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, has entered Erdogan’s crosshairs. In front of hundreds of thousands of supporters, the incumbent head of state promised on Sunday that the country would not be left to a “drunkard and drunkard”.
Erdogan, who in the meantime had to take a campaign break due to illness, repeatedly uses sharp rhetoric to attack the opposition bloc and sections of society. He repeatedly spoke out as anti-LGBT and accused sections of the opposition of speaking out for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. The president also accused Kilicdaroglu of collaborating with “terrorists”.
Head-to-head race expected
The opposition, meanwhile, complained that authorities were trying to prevent Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu from campaigning in Erzurum in eastern Turkey, which was scheduled for Sunday night. Imamoglu of the main opposition party, CHP, will become vice president if he wins the election.
Polls indicate a neck-and-neck race between Erdogan and the opposition leader in parliamentary and presidential elections on May 14. Kilicdaroglu is running for an alliance of six opposition parties from different camps. If none of the candidates achieves an absolute majority in the first round, a second round will take place on 28 May.
What Kilicdaroglu promises the people
Since the introduction of a presidential system in 2018, Erdogan has more power than ever before. Critics also fear that the country of some 85 million could slide completely into autocracy if the 69-year-old wins again. The election campaign has been marked by an economic crisis and the massive earthquake in February that killed tens of thousands of people in southeastern Turkey. Kilicdaroglu vows to return the country to a parliamentary democracy. On Saturday, he said: A democratic change of government would also be a “gift to world politics” in Turkey. Speaking to the German news agency, he also stressed that he would improve relations with Germany.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
