Opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu feels his moment has arrived to change Turkey’s course and undo much of Tayyip Erdogan’s legacy.
A coalition of six opposition parties chose the conscientious and occasionally fiery former government servant to challenge Erdogan in the country’s most important elections on May 14.
After an inclusive campaign promising remedies to a cost-of-living issue that has weakened the president’s popularity, Kilicdaroglu, 74, leads surveys and may win in a second round.
He has promised a return to classical economic policies and the parliamentary system, independence for court opponents believe Erdogan has exploited to repress dissent and better ties with the West.
The opposition’s turnaround plan promises to lower inflation, which reached 85% last year, but it may cause financial market chaos and another currency meltdown.
I know folks are struggling. “I know the cost of living and the hopelessness of young people,” Kilicdaroglu told a crowd last week. Change is needed. A fresh mindset is needed.”
Kilicdaroglu, who Erdogan despises after losing many elections as chair of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), is accused of lacking his opponent’s charisma and failing to provide a post-Erdogan vision.
He hopes to expand on the opposition’s 2019 local election victory in Istanbul and other major cities when the CHP beat Erdogan’s AK Party with assistance from other opposition parties.
Kilicdaroglu will have to unify nationalists, Islamists, secularists, and liberals if he wins. After a 72-hour debate, the second-largest party’s head, IYI’s Meral Aksener, momentarily walked out.
He “portrays a totally opposite image from Erdogan, who is a polarizing figure and fighter who… consolidates his voter base,” said Turkey-based author and political commentator Birol Baskan.
“Kilicdaroglu looks much more statesmanlike, seeking to unify and reach out to those not voting for them… “That’s his magic and very difficult in Turkey,” he remarked. “I’m not sure he’ll win, but Kilicdaroglu is the right character at the right time.”
Polls show a close presidential and legislative election that will determine Turkey’s involvement in Ukraine and the Middle East.
Many doubt Kilicdaroglu can topple Erdogan, the country’s longest-serving leader, whose magnetism has won over a dozen elections.
Despite his control over the media, judiciary, and record social aid expenditures before the vote, commentators say Erdogan is closer than ever to defeat.
The opposition claims Erdogan’s interest rate cuts caused the inflationary crisis that destroyed household finances. The government claims the initiative increased exports and investment to promote lira holdings.
Kilicdaroglu headed Turkey’s Social Insurance Institution in the 1990s before joining politics. However, Erdogan constantly criticizes his position in talks.
He became an MP in 2002, representing the center-left CHP, a secularist party founded by modern Turkey’s founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.
In recent years, he has shown a wish to reconcile with pious Muslims and Kurds.
Kilicdaroglu became famous as the CHP’s anti-graft activist, appearing on TV with dossiers that led to high-profile resignations. In 2010, he was elected party leader unopposed despite losing an Istanbul mayoral race.
“A clean and honest” campaign song played at that party convention. Kilicdaroglu said, “We are coming to protect the rights of the poor, the oppressed, the workers and labourers” in a striped shirt and black jacket.
His election raised party hopes, but CHP support has remained below 25%. Erdogan’s AK party won 43% in 2018’s parliamentary elections.
Still, others perceive Kilicdaroglu as having discreetly restructured the party and dismissed diehard “Kemalists” who adhere to a rigorous interpretation of Ataturk’s beliefs while pushing European social democratic norms.
Critics argue he failed to adopt the CHP and forced himself as a presidential candidate over others who polled better against Erdogan.
Kilicdaroglu, an Alevi from eastern Tunceli, follows a faith based on Shi’ite Muslim, Sufi, and Anatolian folk traditions.
Last month, he confirmed this on social media to deflect political assaults since Alevis’ views conflict with the Sunni Muslim majority.
In 2017, he started his 450-km “March for Justice” from Ankara to Istanbul following the detention of a CHP deputy, earning him the nickname “Gandhi Kemal” from Turkish media.
Kilicdaroglu, endorsed by the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party, gathered in Van last week.
I’ve boycotted elections since 2018, yet I’ll vote for Kemal Kilicdaroglu. “Radical Islamists inspire me,” claimed Batman technician Faruk Yasar, 27.
Comment Template