Two rival candidates for Turkish presidency, Islamists Recep Tayyip Erdogancurrent holder of the position and social democrat Kemal Kilicdaroglu This Saturday, on the eve of the second and decisive round of the elections, they tried to persuade a few still undecided voters.
Erdogan, who received 49.5 percent of the votes in the first round held on May 14, is starting the elections this Sunday with a great advantage. Kılıçdaroğlu’s vote rate was 44.9. to win.
In its place, his opponent needs over two million to match him.
It’s hard for political observers to guess who they will lean on, since 5.2 percent, who named the third candidate, far-right Sinan Ogan, declared their support for Erdogan in the first round, but the two parties that nominated gave their support to Kılıçdaroğlu.
“This voters Those who choose Ogan in the first round are more likely to go to Kılıçdaroğlu in the second,” says election communications expert İlyas Başsoy.
“This is a new election with an uncertain outcome. Those who do not go to the ballot box on the first meeting wins the game.“, the expert explains to EFE.
However, considering that the turnout in the second round was 89% (86% if 3 million voters residing abroad is taken into account), which is the highest in the last ten years, this is doubtful. There are still many undecided citizens.
“If turnout decreases, Erdogan’s chances increase because his voters are more disciplined,” said Tuğrul Türkeş, a deputy of Erdogan’s Islamist party AKP.
Just in case, the head of state isn’t tired of remembering your importance.everybody vote and to warn that the greatest danger at all rallies is to be “intoxicated with victory.”
At least, voters abroad realized that: lParticipation exceeded that of the first round at some points.
Kılıçdaroğlu, on the other hand, condemned the many obstacles the administration has put in his campaign.
Some cities have banned screens placed by the social democratic CHP, his party, placed in squares to broadcast a multi-hour interview with his candidate, broadcast on the popular YouTube channel Babala TV, in which Kılıçdaroğlu answers critical questions from a young audience.
He also blames the party. Erdogan’s posters hung outside the barracksschools and mosques, when these public spaces need to remain neutral.
Kılıçdaroğlu also condemned the “total blockade”, complaining that mobile phone operators prevented journalists from sending text messages to announce their programmes.
Moreover, Erdogan refuses to confront his opponent in a televised debate Despite the long tradition of such open conflicts in Turkey.
The vast majority of channels broadcast the president’s messages incessantly, leaving little room for his opponent.
According to the CHP, the public television TRT allocated 50 hours to Erdoğan and less than 50 minutes to Kılıçdaroğlu during the campaign.
On the other hand, the defenders of the candidate emphasize that Kılıçdaroğlu has achieved something unprecedented in Turkey: to unite a large nationalist and right-wing faction with the left wing defending the rights of the Kurdish population in the same electoral base. .
“There is hope that those who represent Turkish nationalism and those who represent Kurdish nationalism will reconcile for a democratic system. It’s been a dream for yearsEmre Kongar, a sociologist writing in Cumhuriyet newspaper.