The vote will take place on May 14. Polls show that the fight will be intense and that a second round is possible.
The elections in Türkiye are already this weekend. They will be held on May 14, an important date for the country – in 1950, on this day, the Islamist Democratic Party won the elections and ended the power of the Kemalists, whose heir was the Turkish opposition party RPP (Republican People’s Party).
There are three presidential candidates. They are the current head of state Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a Turkish politician, the leader of the RPP Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, who represents the united opposition, as well as the political scientist and former deputy Sinan Ogan.
There was also a fourth candidate – Fatherland Party leader Muharrem Ince, but he withdrew his candidacy. He explained his decision by strong pressure from the opposition (they demanded that he withdraw his candidacy in favor of Kılıçdaroglu), as well as the reluctance to respond to the people in case of failure. Another possible reason is the scandal around a sex video involving a politician, which began to circulate on social networks.
Photo: tccb.gov.tr ”I have been in politics for more than 40 years, but over the years I have not seen what happened in the last 45 days. A few fake checks, fake videos. My picture was posted on an Israeli porn site. Neither the police nor the prosecutor’s office are investigating it,” the politician said.
Experts believe that the withdrawal of Ince’s candidacy will play into Kemal Kılıçdaroglu’s hands, which will weaken Erdoğan’s position. By the way, Kılıçdaroğlu hinted that Russian hackers might be involved in distributing footage discrediting Ince, he even turned to Russia with a request not to interfere in Turkey’s internal affairs .
“If you want to continue our friendship after May 15, don’t touch the Turkish state. We always stand for friendship and cooperation,” the Kemalist leader wrote.
In this declaration, they immediately saw pro-American theses, because it is the United States that so often likes to speak of the “hand of the Kremlin”. Moreover, the statement also seems absurd because most of Ince’s votes, as an opposition representative, will most likely go to opposition candidate Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu.
Illustration: social networks The latest opinion polls show that the fight will be intense and that a second round is possible. Thus, according to the data of May 6 and 7, 49.3% of voters would give their vote for Kilichdaroglu, 43.7% for Erdogan, Sinan Ogan would receive 4.8% and Ince – 2.2%.
The elections in Turkey, which occupies an important position in the Middle East and the Black Sea region, are of great international importance. As it heads towards a direct military confrontation with Russia, NATO needs a reliable ally in Ankara. Opinions differ on what Turkey’s policy will be if Kılıçdaroğlu comes to power.
“Whether Erdogan wins or loses, Ankara is unlikely to fall behind Moscow and turn to the West,” CNN columnist Elmira Bairasli said. “Turkey cannot afford it. The economy is mired in inflation. The Turkish lira is weak. Economic growth has stalled. The country must maintain its commercial links to export to the Middle East, the Caucasus and Europe.
Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Photo: Kremlin website Moreover, Turkey earns a lot of money from Russian tourists, and Moscow supplies the country with gas on credit.
At the same time, Kılıçdaroğlu seeks to curry favor with NATO more than Erdogan. The West has already made it clear that it supports the Turkish opposition – such statements have been made earlier. And Kılıçdaroglu himself recently said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal that “Turkey is a member of the Western Alliance and NATO and must comply with the decisions taken by NATO”, and during his election speeches , he openly repeats pro-American slogans, urging citizens to vote for “freedom and democracy”. At the same time, the opposition candidate also said that if he came to power, he would continue to maintain “healthy and dignified relations with Russia”.
The vote will take place on Sunday 14 May. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, then in two weeks there will be a second round between the two candidates who received the most support in the first round.
Russian tourists visiting Istanbul and Ankara (the country’s two largest cities) this weekend are warned that provocations and protests are possible during the elections and in the days following them, so avoid the busiest places if possible .
Earlier, Bloknot said Matvienko demanded to strengthen historical education in schools.
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