Turkish leader Erdogan faces his toughest election challenge in Sunday’s vote
ISTANBUL — Turkish politicians held final rallies in the last hours of campaigning before Sunday’s presidential and parliamentary elections, pivotal races that could significantly shape the NATO member’s future.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is facing the toughest challenge in his two decades of power, spoke at three neighborhood rallies in Istanbul, Turkey’s biggest city.
His main challenger — Kemal Kilicdaroglu of the pro-secular, center-left Republican People’s Party, who is the joint candidate of six opposition parties — held his final rally in the capital, Ankara, on Friday under pouring rain. On Saturday, he and some of his supporters visited the mausoleum of Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey and of the Republican People’s Party.
Erdogan dismissed speculation that he wouldn’t cede power if he lost, calling the notion “very ridiculous.” In an interview with a dozen Turkish broadcasters Friday, he said he came to power through democracy and would act in line with the democratic process.
“If our nation decides to make such a different decision, we will do exactly what’s required by democracy and there’s nothing else to do,” he said.
A 25-year-old Jordanian man was fatally shot Monday in Marina del Rey in what police have described as a road rage killing. A suspect in the case has not been identified or arrested.
On Saturday, Erdogan showcased his government’s defense and infrastructure investments and aired videos claiming that Kilicdaroglu was colluding with terrorist groups. The president also argued that the opposition’s pro-LGBTQ+ stance is anti-family — a now-regular political targeting of LGBTQ+ people in Turkey.
The opposition’s campaign was continued by Istanbul’s popular mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, who held final rallies in the city to call on people to vote for Kilicdaroglu. As in previous elections, mainstream media coverage of campaign events remained unequal, with Erdogan’s rallies consistently getting live airtime.
On Friday, Kilicdaroglu asked tens of thousands gathered to hear his final speech to vote to “change Turkey’s destiny.” He said he was ready to bring democracy to Turkey, a major criticism of Erdogan, who has cracked down on dissent in recent years and concentrated most powers of the state in his hands.
“We will show the whole world that our beautiful country is one that can bring democracy through democratic means,” he said.
Though Kilicdaroglu and his party have lost all presidential and parliamentary elections since he took the helm of the party in 2010, opinion polls have showed that he has a slight lead over Erdogan.
If no presidential candidate secures more than 50% of the vote, a runoff election will be held May 28.
Turkey’s Supreme Electoral Board said it decided that votes cast for another candidate, Muharrem Ince, who pulled out of the race this week, would be counted as valid and that his withdrawal would not be considered until a potential second round. Analysts had predicted Ince voters would shift to Kilicdaroglu.
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