Dirty campaign ploy
Kilicdaroglu sues Erdogan for fake video
05/25/2023, 2:50 p.m
During his election campaign, Turkish President Erdogan repeatedly showed a fake video that compromised his challenger Kilicdaroglu. He later admits the forgery, but now his opponent is suing him for the equivalent of 46,000 euros.
Three days before the run-off election in Turkey, opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu sued President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for 50,000 dollars (around 46,000 euros) for broadcasting a fake election campaign video. “We have filed a lawsuit to seek accountability for the fake video,” said Kilicdaroglu’s attorney, Celal Celik.
The video links the opposition to Kurdish fighters. It shows a commander of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) apparently calling for support for the opposition. The PKK is classified as a terrorist organization by Turkey and its western allies.
Erdogan has repeatedly shown the video at rallies, but this week conceded that it was a montage – and not an official campaign video produced by the opposition, as he had hinted at his rallies. According to Kilicdaroglu, he intends to donate the $50,000 to an organization that educates the children of killed Turkish soldiers.
Since none of the candidates achieved an absolute majority in the first round of the presidential election on May 14, there will be a runoff between Kilicdaroglu and Erdogan on Sunday. Erdogan just missed the majority in the first round – Kilicdaroglu was around five percentage points behind him.