Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's presidential candidate for the People's Alliance renewed his attack on his rival, the People's Alliance candidate, opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, saying that "Sunday will be difficult for Kilicdaroglu."
On the other hand, the Green Left and the Kurdish Democratic People's Party announced their continued support for the opposition candidate in the run-off. Turks will also continue to vote at border crossings, including airports and ports, until Sunday, May 28, when the second round of presidential elections will be held at home.
Three days before the poll, Erdogan said – in a speech at an industrial conference in Istanbul about Kılıçdaroğlu – "This auditor was forced to give parties whose popularity does not exceed 3% 1 seats in parliament."
The Turkish president also repeated the accusation of Kılıçdaroğlu of meeting with what he described as terrorists in the chambers of the Turkish parliament to negotiate how to deal with "terrorists outside the borders," referring to the parties that support the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which Ankara classifies as terrorists, noting that the Turkish media knows for sure this information about his rival.
Erdogan described his rival and supporters as xenophobic, whether refugees or investors. This is a reference to the slogans raised by Kılıçdaroğlu to expel foreigners and Syrian refugees. In this context, Erdogan explained that his government, with the support of Qatar, is building buildings and houses that can accommodate one million Syrian refugees in northern Syria. "We will not expel the Syrians and we will not force them to leave. Germany and France are inviting them to return home, and we will do so on humanitarian, emotional and Islamic grounds."
The Turkish president pointed out that although Hatay province (southern Turkey) "voted 90% for the Republican People's Party, we built a hospital in it within 3 months, which we accomplished. But Kılıçdaroğlu did not visit this hospital when he visited Hatay." "Those who insulted the Turkish people after the first round of elections in any way will demand the votes of the voters on Sunday! I don't know."
Meanwhile, Turks will continue to vote at border crossings, including airports and ports, until May 28, when the second round of presidential elections will be held at home.
The voting process in Turkish consulates and diplomatic representations abroad ended yesterday with a record that exceeded the first round in terms of turnout; the High Election Board announced that the number of voters who cast their votes until eight pm local time reached one million and 895 thousand and 430 Turkish voters in 73 countries.
Kurdish support for opposition candidate
Meanwhile, the Kurdish Green Left and Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) announced their continued support for opposition candidate Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the opposition candidate in the run-off in Turkey's presidential election.
The Green Left and HDP parties said in a joint statement that using refugees as a political card is grossly unacceptable and wrong, but we will continue to support Kılıçdaroğlu.
At a news conference held by representatives of the two parties on Thursday afternoon, the co-leader of the Green Left party said that the election was not a choice between President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Kılıçdaroğlu, but rather a referendum on what she called an "unjust regime."
HDP co-leader Midhat Sinjar said the party was sticking to the same demands and that the Kurdish people would go to the polls in greater numbers.
The two parties announced on Wednesday that they would hold a meeting to discuss their position on the elections after Kılıçdaroğlu adopted a nationalist anti-refugee rhetoric and his alliance with the leader of the ultra-nationalist Zafar party, Ümit Özdağ.
For his part, Kılıçdaroğlu said – at an election conference in Adana province – "You should not vote for those who have plunged the country into this quagmire, go to the polls, and vote according to the dictates of your conscience."