The episode (2023/4/28) of the program "Above Power" monitored the statement of Kılıçdaroğlu, head of the Republican People's Party and candidate of the six-table alliance, and the reactions it provoked, and how the Turkish media addressed it, as some considered it a break from one of Turkey's secular taboos established by the founder of the state, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.
The vast majority of the Turkish people profess Islam according to the Hanafi school (one of the Sunni schools), but the constitution that was drafted and its subsequent amendments, "Ataturk" after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, stipulated that it was forbidden to form any political party declaring its representation of any form of religious belief, but it did not prohibit any personal religious affiliation of politicians.
In the video posted by Kılıçdaroğlu on his verified Twitter account, the presidential candidate said: "My beloved sons who will vote for the first time. I am an Alawite who was raised to believe in God, Muhammad and Ali, and I am an honest Muslim."
A number of Turkish newspapers considered Kılıçdaroğlu's actions a break from one of Turkey's secular taboos by announcing his religious affiliation, which contained phrases that implicitly accused the era of the current president and his rival in the presidential elections, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as "discriminatory."
Commenting on this, Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu considered Kılıçdaroğlu's announcement of his religious sect an attempt to present himself as a victim, adding in a public interview, "Does he not know that before Erdogan no one would have dared to say I am an Alawite in Turkey, but now everyone expresses himself freely."
In the context, the episode of the program monitored statements by the head of the Independent Turkey Party, Hussein Bas, through which he wanted to criticize Turkish President Erdogan, and show a sharp opposition position from him in the upcoming elections, but he carried an insult to all his competitors, when he said: We will vote for Erdogan's rival even if it is toilet slippers.
Presidential and legislative elections will take place in Turkey on May 14. The voting process for Turks living abroad and at border crossings and airports began on Thursday, which will continue until May 9.
According to opinion polls, the Turkish presidential election is expected to witness a fierce contest, especially between President Erdogan and his main rival, Kılıçdaroğlu.
More than 64 million Turks are eligible to vote, according to Turkey's High Election Commission.
In addition, the episode "Above Power" dealt with the following topics:
– Mexico's president sells presidential plane to build two hospitals for the poor
– In 3 hours, a Qatari YouTuber builds two cities for displaced people in Syria and Yemen
– Qais al-Khazali says Saddam Hussein's origins are Indian
– Who is looking for the house of Abu Jahl in the streets of Mecca?
– Monkey loans. 100,<> monkeys pay off Sri Lanka's debt to China
– Moroccan MP calls on his government to cancel Eid al-Adha
– Canadian politicians initiative to support women by wearing high heels
– "Sumo Crying Kids" Festival returns after a hiatus of 4 years
– Did Islam spread by the sword and bloodshed?.. Karim El Shazly answers