Rémi Trieau / Photo credit: BURAK KARA / GETTY IMAGES EUROPE / Getty Images via AFP
In seven days the Turkish presidential election will take place. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, outgoing candidate, is running for a third term, but facing him is a formidable opponent at the head of a coalition of six parties: Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. Europe 1 analyzes these two men that everything opposes.
For 20 years, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has ruled Turkey. If the president stands for a third term, he must face, this time, a united opposition behind his rival Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, at the head of a coalition of six parties. Two men neck and neck according to the polls, with very different styles. The Turkish presidential election takes place this Sunday, May 14 and promises to be eventful.
On the one hand, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan promises his voters a powerful Turkey that holds the West in check. The Head of State who came to power as Prime Minister in 2003 promises major projects: airports, bridges and even gas extraction. The 69-year-old candidate also praises the successes of the Turkish defense industry, including the Bayraktar TB2 drones which have become the symbol of a nationalist and ultra-conservative campaign. And yet, the outgoing president is divisive. He attacks LGBT communities, he defends the sacredness of the family and Islamic moral values.
Facing him, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu is a serious opponent. The 74-year-old opponent attacks his opponent’s economic record, including the terrible inflation that is hitting the middle classes. He also denounces the management of the earthquake of February 6 and corruption in the construction sector. The opponent swears to bring back democracy by a return to a parliamentary system and an independent judiciary. Finally, he assures us that he will expel the millions of Syrian refugees in Turkey in two years.