Turkey: final stretch before tense election

A woman affiliated with Turkey's ruling AK party displays Turkish flags, balloons and photos of Turkish President and Popular Alliance presidential candidate Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as part of the presidential election campaign, in the Balat neighborhood of Istanbul, Turkey, Monday, May 1, 2023. AP - Khalil Hamra

Text by: Anne Andlauer

3 min

On Sunday, Turkish citizens will go to elect their president and deputies. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who is running for re-election after 20 years in power, seems threatened for the first time by a rival, Kemal Kiliçdaroglu.

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With our correspondent in Istanbul,

There are only four days left of campaigning in Turkey. The candidates therefore throw all their forces into the battle with two or even three meetings a day for each. But there is an important difference between the two candidates. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, even if his AKP party has made an alliance with four far-right or Islamist parties, is generally alone on stage. And it is he that the crowds come to see. Kemal Kiliçdaroglu represents six very diverse parties and is campaigning alongside the leaders of these parties, but also the very popular mayors of Istanbul and Ankara.

Sometimes there are two or three of them at the rostrum, sometimes all together, or each holds a meeting in a different city at the same time, which allows the opposition to increase its strength tenfold. And it also represents what the Turks are going to vote for: either one-man government or a consensus-based and coalition government.

>> READ ALSO: Turkey: Erdogan losing ground in his electoral strongholds

Seducing the undecided

The two main candidates seem to anticipate a close result and are therefore working to convince the undecided. Kemal Kiliçdaroglu hopes to win votes among voters disappointed with Tayyip Erdogan – those who resent him for the fall in their purchasing power or for his authoritarian exercise of power. As for Erdogan, he promised to make amends to those whose hearts he could have "broken", asking them to continue to support him.

Supporters of Kemal Kilicdaroglu, presidential candidate of Turkey's main opposition alliance, attend a rally ahead of the May 14 presidential and parliamentary elections, in Istanbul, Turkey, May 6, 2023. REUTERS - UMIT BEKTAS

In both camps, it is quite clear, we are trying to seduce young people who are numerous among the undecided. Especially those who vote for the first time, that is to say about 8% of the electorate. Kemal Kiliçdaroglu promises to bring them democracy and prosperity. Recep Tayyip Erdogan also dangled promises of economic aid and tries to attract the most nationalist among them by praising Turkey's technological advances under his presidency, particularly in the field of the defense industry.

>> READ ALSO: Turkey: a week before the elections, the opponent Kemal Kiliçdaroglu in meeting in Istanbul

Tensions

However, this end of the campaign took place in an extremely tense, even violent context. There are the particularly harsh verbal attacks of the authorities against Kemal Kiliçaroglu, constantly associated with terrorism. And there are countless physical attacks on campaign offices, especially those of the opposition.

Last weekend, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was targeted by stone-throwing at a rally in eastern Turkey. Seventeen people were injured.

This climate of violence fuels concerns for voting day, election night and the following days, especially if the score is close or if Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is defeated. Kemal Kiliçdaroglu called on his supporters to stay home on Sunday night, even if they win. He spoke of the risk of "provocation" and the possible presence of "armed elements in the streets".

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