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In Turkey, just over two months away from the legislative and presidential elections scheduled for May 14, the official launch of the electoral campaign took place this Friday (10), with a major challenge for the opposition: to put an end to 20 years of power of Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
After 11 years at the head of the government and another nine at the head of the state, Erdogan must face this year a very strong opposition coalition, which starts its campaign with optimism: a first poll of voting intentions gives 14 points of advantage to its candidate Kemal Kiliçdaroglu.
The choice was made just a few days ago, after long and difficult negotiations between the parties gathered in the so-called Mesa dos Seis, the national alliance made up of the six opposition parties. The opposition alliance now has ten weeks to defeat the established power, which it has not been able to do for two decades.
Kiliçdaroglu, 74, a former civil servant and economist by training, promised a complete break with the Erdogan era: “Today we are very close to overthrowing the throne of tyrants,” he launched this week.
Kemal Kiliçdaroglu is usually smiling in his public appearances, he always speaks calmly, highlighting his humble origins. His slim figure earned him the nickname of Turkish Gandhi. He has been in politics for more than 20 years, but it will be his first time in the presidential race at the head of the CHP, the Republican People’s Party founded by the first president of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (1923-1938).
more diversity
By engaging Kurds, women who wear veils and conservative nationalists, he has opened the door to more diversity, at the risk of upsetting some politicians in his own ranks. But this art of conciliation seems to be something of his trademark.
Kiliçdaroglu lacks Erdogan’s charisma to dominate the crowds, but he has spared no effort to conquer Istanbul and Ankara. Since the earthquake that shook the country on February 6, he has been the government’s main critic.
Opinion polls predict a close election, the most dangerous for Erdogan since he came to power in 2003. The electoral dispute also predicts possible support from the pro-Kurdish party Democratic Peoples Party (HDP) to the coalition of the Table of Six.
Turkish Justice recently released public aid to the HDP. With that, the pro-Kurdish party, the country’s third political force, accused of being linked to the PKK, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party described as “terrorist” by Ankara and its western allies, will recover about € 27 million in funds it would be awarded this year.
Some political analysts attribute to the HDP a crucial role in the election result, but the party is still threatened with closure, and should be heard by the Justice in the coming days. The HDP won almost 12% of the vote in the 2018 legislative elections.
political earthquake
The current president is expected to face strong criticism during the campaign after the failures of the earthquake response. Erdogan must also, and above all, account for rampant inflation, a currency collapse, and a social crisis that has eroded his authority.
Not by chance, when launching his campaign this Friday, the Turkish president promised to “heal the wounds” of the country, referring to the consequences of the earthquake. The head of state also specified that, due to the circumstances and the more than 46,000 deaths recorded in this catastrophe that devastated the south and southeast of the country, this will be a “campaign without music”.
Erdogan, 69, who was speaking from the presidential palace in Ankara, justified holding the early elections on May 14 because “Turkey has no time to lose, nor can it be distracted or waste energy in vain.”
“We want to make May 14 a date that erases the impact of the destruction of February 6,” he argued, anticipating his likely campaign slogan: “Now for Turkey!”
Free one-year rebuild
The Turkish president promised free reconstruction “within a year” when the 7.8 magnitude earthquake devastated some 278,000 buildings and, in addition to the dead, displaced more than 3 million people. He also started distributing 10,000 Turkish lira (about R$2,700) to affected families.
The head of state also announced that any candidate for parliament from his party, the AKP, will have to announce the amount he intends to deposit in favor of the victims.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, however, still maintains many assets in his favor – including a media and civil society under tight control, a certain charisma with a part of the population and an international image reinforced by the conflict in Ukraine.
(With information from AFP)