Turkey: on the eve of the election, Recep Tayyip Erdogan combative and confident

Supporter of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his AKP party at a rally in Istanbul on May 12. AP - Khalil Hamra

Text by: RFI Follow

2 min

The campaign is coming to an end in Turkey. Voters will vote tomorrow, May 14 in a presidential and legislative election that polls predict is close. On the eve of the vote, the candidates and their teams are still looking for votes, mobilizing voters. Incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is holding two campaign rallies in Istanbul on Saturday. Despite unfavorable polls, the presidential camp wants to believe in his victory.

Advertising

Read more

With our special envoy in Istanbul, Guilhem Delteil

In Ümraniye, a district on the Asian side of Istanbul, Recep Tayyip Erdogan was able to measure his popularity among part of the population. Thousands of Turks had gathered, Turkish flags in hand, or orange and dark blue in the colors of the AKP, the party of the outgoing president; residents at their windows or balconies to see the candidate's convoy pass; parents who came with their children. Some of his supporters crossed the courtyards of the buildings, stepped over the fences to access the place of the rally. Others had climbed into the trees to make sure they could see him.

A policy touted to the crowd

In Ümraniye, Recep Tayyip Erdogan's popularity remains very high. Gigantic portraits of him have been unrolled on the facades of neighboring buildings, the colors of his party are omnipresent in the streets. Admittedly, his arrival had been prepared, but in this district, the presence of the opposition is more discreet than that of the AKP. And his supporters show him unwavering support, hailing a strong leader who, in their eyes, has been able to defend Turkey's interests.

It was therefore in front of a full place that the outgoing president took the floor. For nearly an hour, Recep Tayyip Erdogan was both combative and confident. He harangued his supporters, boasting of his record over the past twenty years. His policy, he says, will still have effects in 100 years.

He also accused the opposition of being linked to the failed 2016 coup, saying he would not cede the country to people he called "terrorists." Goodbye Kemal," chanted Recep Tayyip Erdogan in reference to his main opponent, Kemal Kiliçdaroglu. A slogan taken up by the crowd.

► READ ALSO: In Turkey, electoral face-to-face between an "all-powerful" president and the leader of the opposition

Newsletter Receive all the international news directly in your mailbox

I subscribe

Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application

Read on on the same topics:

• Turkey
• Recep Tayyip Erdogan