Turkey’s pivotal presidential and parliamentary elections will take place on Sunday amid hope, impatience, anxiety, tension and concerns about ballot box security in the country.
The elections are seen as a major test for Turkish democracy, as the country has faced increasing authoritarianism and political repression under the Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) two-decade rule.
Less than 24 hours before voters start casting their ballots, the pro-Kurdish Green Left Party rallies supporters for a final election rally and the joint presidential candidate of the opposition Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu promises “democracy, nothing but democracy.”
*Updated at 6:00 pm (CET)
Erdoğan: “Biden has instructed ‘We have to bring down Erdoğan’. Tomorrow the polls will give Biden an answer”
Political parties are holding their final rallies ahead of the tomorrow’s elections. During the People’s Alliance rally in Istanbul, Turkish President and AKP leader Recep Tayyip Erdoğan criticised his rival Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu’s warning to Russia to not “interfere in the elections”. Erdoğan accused Kılıçdaroğlu of taking instructions from the United States and Joe Biden and said the ballot boxes will give an answer to Biden. Erdoğan also pledged to turn tomorrow’s polling into a celebration.
Turkey’s electoral board concludes votes cast for Muharrem İnce are valid
The Turkish Supreme Board of Elections (YSK) announced that the votes cast for Muharrem İnce, who withdrew from the presidential race, in overseas polling stations and those which will be cast on 14 May, will still be counted as valid votes. The decision was made after a meeting held by the board, which concluded that the votes will be valid even after İnce withdrew from the race, since his withdrawal came after the legally-stipulated period.
Green Left Party holds final rally ahead of Turkish elections
The pro-Kurdish opposition party, the Green Left Party, is holding its final election rally today in the southeastern Kurdish-majority province of Diyarbakır (Amed).
Supporters of the party formed a 500-vehicle convoy on Friday and called on everyone to attend the rally on Saturday.
As the convoy travelled through the city, candidates for parliament waved to supporters from the party’s election bus, while people on the streets cheered and made victory signs. Supporters of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) also saluted the convoy as it passed by. Children on bicycles also joined the convoy, waving flags and making victory signs.
The atmosphere was festive and joyous, as people in markets, cafes, and shops came out onto the streets to show their support. The Green Left Party is hoping to enter parliament in the strongest position possible, despite pressure and intimidation from the ruling party.
The Green Left Party’s election rallies were mostly in the mood of celebration of hope and resistance, as crowds showed that they were determined to make their voices heard at the ballot box on Sunday.
Turkish opposition leader promises to restore media diversity if elected
Turkish opposition leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has promised to change the country’s single-minded television broadcasting policy during President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s joint appearance on more than 20 channels for a “Special Election” broadcast on Friday.
“We promise democracy, nothing but democracy,” Kılıçdaroğlu said in a social media post. “When we govern this country, you will never see all channels broadcasting the same content again. Democracy is a beautiful, wonderful thing, you know.”
The ruling AKP and its supporters have been accused of exerting excessive influence over media coverage in Turkey, with many media outlets facing pressure to toe the government line. The opposition leader’s statement signals a commitment to media plurality and the democratization of the country’s media landscape, which many hope will be a positive development for Turkey’s press freedom.
LGBTI+ activists speak out against discriminatory language in Turkish elections
Fourteen LGBTI+ organizations in Turkey issued a joint statement on Thursday, criticising political parties and candidates who used hate speech against their community in their electoral campaigns. The statement came in response to the increasing use of anti-LGBTI+ rhetoric by politicians from both the ruling coalition and the opposition alliance.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been among those who have targeted the LGBTI+ community during his campaign speeches, calling on the opposition to “admit they are LGBTI+.” Similarly, Interior Minister and AKP parliamentary candidate Süleyman Soylu recently said: “Who will come if we go? These LGBTIs will come. Those who want same-sex marriage will come.”
The LGBTI+ organisations criticised these statements in their joint statement, calling them “discriminatory language that taints the political environment” and expressing their concern that this rhetoric could lead to further hate crimes against the community.
The statement also took issue with some leaders from the opposition alliance who responded to the ruling coalition’s attacks by denying the accusations regarding being pro-LGBTI+ or legalising same-sex marriage. The organisations emphasised that this attitude only serves to reinforce the stigma and discrimination against the community.
Presidential communication chief tells voters to decide between “stability or chaos”
As Turkey’s crucial elections are just hours away, controversial analogies about the elections continue to emerge from the ruling party officials.
Fahrettin Altun, the chief of communication in the Turkish presidency, said in a tweet on Wednesday that voters had two choices: “either independence or dependence, either growth or shrinkage, either unity or division, either stability or chaos.”
His tweet comes amid mounting polemics surrounding the elections, with Turkey’s Interior Minister, Süleyman Soylu, calling them a “political coup attempt” by the West.
AKP official says Erdoğan will be first to know election results in Turkey
AKP’s deputy chairman for election affairs, Ali İhsan Yavuz, said on Friday that President Erdoğan will be the first to know the election results. Speaking to reporters, Yavuz stated, “We want to learn the results of the elections first in Turkey. And we claim that no one except us can reach these results so quickly. So, President Erdoğan will know the results of the elections before anyone else.”
Yavuz also expressed his confidence that the AKP and Erdoğan’s votes will not decrease in comparison to previous elections.
The elections are being held amid increased concerns about the safety of the electoral process, particularly after the 2019 Istanbul mayoral election, which was rerun after the AKP challenged the initial results. The opposition has been vocal about the importance of ensuring fair and transparent elections, with preparations underway to prevent any interference or irregularities.
Kılıçdaroğlu condemns government’s fear-mongering ahead of elections
In a television interview following his party’s final rally before the polls, Kılıçdaroğlu has spoken out against recent “disturbing” comments made by Erdoğan and the leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), Devlet Bahçeli, which was interpreted as they would not accept an electoral defeat.
Erdoğan had previously made a reference to the 2016 coup attempt, stating that the country would protect its “independence and future at any cost,” while Bahçeli warned that those who threatened the country’s stability would face “life sentences or bullets”.
Responding to these remarks, Kılıçdaroğlu argued that they were unnecessary and provocative, stating that “we are not going to war, we are going to the ballot box.” He also criticised the government’s decision to control the election process, accusing them of trying to undermine the democratic process.
The opposition leader called on everyone to cast their votes, stating: “This is no ordinary election. We will either bring democracy back or throw it in the trash bin of history.”
HDP co-chair urges democratic determination
The Green Left Party, and the left-wing opposition bloc, the Labour and Freedom Alliance, held a rally in the western city of Izmir on Friday.
“No king or tyrant has ever survived by imposition or oppression. These will not survive either. This government will go with the common will of the people living,” said Mithat Sancar, co-chair of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) in the rally.
“This order will change. Let us show our democratic determination in the best way possible today, tomorrow, and on election day. We will definitely succeed.”
Demirtaş: “You are the people, do not fear”
Former HDP Co-Chair Selahattin Demirtaş, who is currently held in Edirne F-Type Prison, called for the protection of ballot boxes in the upcoming elections in a Twitter post on Friday, saying “the only way to stop dark forces that prepare sinister plans through elections is to protect the ballot boxes and resist determinedly against any malicious operations.”
“Everyone is afraid of people; you are the people, do not fear,” Demirtaş said.
Erdoğan lashes out at opposition over allegations of Russian meddling in elections
President Erdoğan has hit back at the leader of the main opposition party, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, for accusing Russia of interfering in Turkey’s upcoming elections through “deep fake” content. Speaking at a rally in Istanbul, Erdoğan said, “Now he’s started targeting Russia. He says Russia is directing Turkey’s elections. Shame on you.”
The comments came after Kılıçdaroğlu suggested that Russia was using fake news to influence the elections.
Russia also denied Kılıçdaroğlu’s allegations on Friday. “We strongly reject such statements,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. “We officially declare: there can be no talk of any interference. If someone provided Mr. Kilicdaroglu with such information, they are liars.”
Erdoğan also criticised the CHP leader for allegedly being a pawn of foreign powers, saying, “He is only a pawn who destroys every institution he is given and leads every party to defeat.”
Kılıçdaroğlu wears bulletproof vest amid assassination attempt reports
Kılıçdaroğlu wore a bulletproof vest at a rally in the northern province of Samsun on Friday amid reports of an alleged assassination attempt. Journalist Merdan Yanardağ claimed on Thursday that a group entered Turkey from Georgia to assassinate Kılıçdaroğlu, with the involvement of a Turkish fugitive businessman who currently lives in Georgia. The Istanbul Public Prosecutor’s Office launched an investigation against Yanardağ for spreading misleading information on Friday. Yanardağ, who said he trusted his source, was summoned to testify as a suspect.