TURKEY: The presidential race in Turkey gets intensified, with both parties trying to strengthen their ground and win comfortably, with Recep Tayyip Erdogan, after two decades, confident of his victory, yet again with another five.
In the initial round, his opponent, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, took a backseat in light of the incomplete results, despite his fair chances of winning. Early on Monday, Kilicdaroglu tried to project confidence while he stood on a stage at the Ankara headquarters of his party. His allies confronted him.
Erdogan made speeches in the Hagia Sophis in Istanbul that seemed like statements to his conservative and nationalist support base. It’s unresolved how close the planned run-off will be. There is already speculation regarding what will happen to the 5% of votes that went to ultranationalist Sinan Ogan, the third-place finisher in the election.
Kilicdaroglu has yet to be very successful as the leader of his party. Still, he has been very adamant in denying Erdogan’s powers this time, which has made many people inquisitive. Erdogan seems to have an advantage despite the unruly times of disasters happening in his country and people being upset about the President lagging during these tough times.
In attempts to take down a president who has significantly boosted his power after an unsuccessful campaign against him in 2016, Turkey’s different opposition parties have been coordinating their efforts for months. Kilicdaroglu mentioned, “If our nation says second round, we will win in the second round.” He had blamed the government before that for trying to “block the will of the people” by restricting the opposition’s might.
Because Kilicdaroglu has pledged to reestablish Turkish democracy and relationships with its NATO partners, the West is enthusiastically scrutinising the election. On the other hand, President Erdogan’s government, known for its Islamist roots, claims that the West is attempting to overthrow him.
Also Read: Kilicdaroglu: Opponent of Erdogan Promises Peace and Democracy in Turkey
