Erdogan’s rivals vow to ‘end the madness’ in May elections

ISTANBUL: The rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, newly nominated in May’s elections, said on Tuesday (March 7) to “end this madness” and turn Turkey into a peaceful country where different communities get along. I promised to change.

Kemal Kilicdaroglu on Monday emerged victorious in a bitter leadership battle between six party leaders united in one goal: to end Erdogan’s 20-year rule of 86 million people.

The prominent 74-year-old leader of the secular CHP party offers a contrasting study with Erdogan, a bombastic talker and devout Muslim. Erdogan’s catchy charisma is offset by concerns about his commitment to human rights.

For months, Erdogan has ridiculed opposition leaders’ repeated attempts and failures to resolve conflicts and build a united front at the ballot box.

Kirikda Rogulu put an end to it Monday by taking to the stage before celebrating supporters and raising the hands of some of Turkier’s most popular politicians.

‘Very hopeful’

These include the opposition mayors of Istanbul and Ankara – two leaders who polls show are even more likely to beat Erdogan.

Kirikdaroglu also secured significant support for a determined nationalist party that could erode Erdogan’s more traditional base of support.

Turkiye’s bond prices surged on hopes that this new team would be strong enough to beat Erdogan and deliver on its promise to put the crisis-stricken country on a more predictable and market-friendly trajectory.

“Today we are very close to overthrowing the oppressor’s throne,” Kirikda Rogulu told his party loyalists in his final parliamentary address.

“Together we will end this madness,” he added. “I am hopeful, my friend. I am very hopeful.”

The election is widely regarded as the most important election for Turkey since its birth as a post-Ottoman republic 100 years ago.

earthquake damage

President Erdogan has shaped Turkish society to his image, turning NATO allies into regional powers engaged in warfare across the rebel region and fighting Kurdish insurgency in the south.

He also boasts that he has never lost a single poll.

The upcoming vote is shaping up to be his toughest election test yet.

President Erdogan was battling a year-long economic collapse last month when a massive earthquake hit southeastern Turkey, killing tens of thousands of people.

A senior UN official on Tuesday estimated the cost of the damage at more than US$100 billion.

But it is difficult to assess Erdogan’s political cost for the government’s slow response in the immediate aftermath of the disaster.

A poll by the Yonirem Center for Social Research showed that President Erdogan’s public approval rating remained stable at around 41% for the 11 months ending in late January, days before the earthquake struck.

It also showed that Kirikudaroguru’s approval rating rose from 29% to 46%.

Gonur Toll of the U.S.-based Middle East Institute said that after Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu and Ankara counterpart Mansur Yavas agreed to join Kirikdaroglu’s proposed new government, the opposition could He said his sexuality had increased dramatically.

“The formula achieved over the weekend significantly improves the election prospects of the opposition,” she wrote in the report.

union master

Kirikda Rogur is now contacting the leaders of the pro-Kurdish HDP political party in Turkiye to further extend his appeal.

The HDP had been excluded from the opposition alliance due to the nationalist views of some members.

However, in 2019, it joined a large coalition that won historic local elections in major Turkish cities.

Seren Selvin Korkmaz, director of the Institute of Istanbul, said on Twitter: “Kiricharoglu is a master of coalition building by building bridges between both left and right political parties in a polarized country.” rice field.

The HDP has the support of about 10% of Turkish voters and is considered a kingmaker in the election campaign.

The party signaled late Monday that it would drop plans to run its own candidate but would listen to new proposals from the opposition bloc.

“If the HDP (joins Kilicdaroglu), the opposition could win the election in the first round without going to the second round run-off,” Tol said.