With the first round of voting in the Turkish presidential election held on the 14th, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan dismissed the possibility of dissatisfaction with the election, which was raised by some. In recent opinion polls, he is narrowly behind Kemal Kultzdaroulu, leader of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), a single candidate elected by a coalition of six opposition parties. If there is no candidate with more than 50% of the vote on this day, the first and second place candidates will hold a run-off on the 28th.
According to Reuters, President Erdogan was asked in a local TV interview on the 12th, two days before the presidential election, “If you lose the presidential election, will you accept the result?” I will do anything,” he replied. He has been in power for a long time since 2003, claiming that he came to power democratically.
President Erdogan, who is aiming for de facto life-long rule, held the presidential election in a situation where he was more on the defensive than in any past elections due to the massive earthquakes that occurred in the southeast and northern Syria earlier this year and chronic economic difficulties. In response, opposition parties and civic groups are raising concerns that if President Erdogan loses, he will disobey the results and demand re-election.
In fact, the ruling Justice and Development Party, to which he belongs, lost the 2019 mayoral election in Istanbul, the largest city, to opposition candidate Ekrem Imamolu, the current mayor, after 25 years. Then he immediately claimed a fraudulent election and demanded a re-election. In the subsequent re-election, the Justice and Development Party candidate lost to Mayor Imamolu by a wider margin than in the first election, causing disgrace.
The outcome of this presidential election is likely to bring about significant changes in the international situation. Turkey is a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), but the Erdogan regime has had an uncomfortable relationship with major Western countries that criticize his long-term rule and suppression of dissent. After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February last year, it consistently seemed to support Russian President Vladimir Putin. On the other hand, Candidate Kultzdaroglu is pro-Western, calling for restoration of relations with the European Union (EU) and NATO. Some in the opposition are even raising suspicions that Russia is trying to intervene in the presidential election by producing fake news and hacking to extend President Erdogan’s presidency.
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Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.