Around 64 million Turkish people cast their ballot today (May 14th), to elect the new president and parliament of Turkey for a term of the next 5 years. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan faces a tough challenge this election to continue his 2-decade rule.
Erdogan’s main opposition candidate, Kemal Kiicdaroglu is the leader of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) and a presidential nominee for the six-party Nation Alliance bloc. Besides Erdogan and Kiicdaroglu, Sinan Ogan, an Ancestral Alliance candidate is also running for the election.
Whereas, Centralist Homeland Party leader and presidential nominee, Muharrem Ince, has withdrawn from the current elections due to a “slander campaign” against him. Due to the release of an alleged sex tape, which according to Ince was fake footage taken from an “Israeli porn site”.
He was assailed with weeks of lurid allegations on social media after the release of the tape. The two-time presidential candidate lost to Erdogan in 2018. He recently separated from the CHP party and ran individually in the presidential race.
According to the polls, Erdogan is not leading in the race compared to the primary opposition candidate, Kemal Kilicdaroglu. If neither candidate manages to secure more than 50% of the votes, there will be a run-off on May 28th.
Erdogan accuses rival of supporting Biden
Before a propaganda ban took effect, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan conducted his final election rallies in Istanbul on Saturday. He made a final plea ahead of his biggest challenge to his 20-year rule, while also accusing the opposition of collaborating with US President Joe Biden to overthrow him.
Erdogan has been emphasizing during his speeches that the opposition is being instructed by Western countries, and if they win, they will obey their commands. During a rally held in Istanbul, Erdogan also brought up statements made by Joe Biden, which were published in the New York Times in January 2020, during his presidential campaign.
Voting takes place in a makeshift polling station
According to the deputy foreign minister of Turkey, as reported by the Daily Sabah newspaper on Wednesday, over 1.8 million voters residing overseas have already cast their votes by April 17th.
But, in the earth-quake-affected regions, the voters are mainly voting in makeshift polling stations, as nearly all the buildings in the affected areas have been ravaged. They are crying out and asking for the rebuilding of the demolished regions.
The regions affected by the earthquake in February were primarily areas that supported Erdogan and his AK Party. However, Ahmet Yener, the chief of the Supreme Election Council (YSK), stated last month that over 1 million voters in the earthquake-affected regions are expected not to vote this year due to displacement.
Moreover, people in the affected area are infuriated with Erdogan’s administration as reconstruction of the damaged edifices has yet not begun. A contrary opinion prevails in other parts of the country where Erdogan is seen as the sole leader capable of restoring the areas of devastation in Turkey.
According to CNN, certain analysts speculate that even if Kilicdaroglu wins the election, Erdogan may resist handing over power to his successor.
Factors affecting voting in Turkey
Cengiz Candar, a renowned Turkish Journalist, expresses that freedom and the economy are the two most important factors affecting voters in Turkey now. Since the economy is deteriorating, the same would have a tremendous effect on who wins the election race.
Furthermore, Turkish people have no freedom. Along with no freedom of expression, even the judiciary runs under the control of the government, with numerous violations of the law taking place at the same time.
