Presidential election in Turkey: Erdoğan hammers one last time his arguments to seduce Istanbulites

The moment of truth is coming. In Turkey, the outgoing head of state is in a favorable ballot before the second round of the presidential election scheduled for Sunday. For this final day of campaigning, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan chose to bow to the grave of his political model: Adnan Menderes, a nationalist-Islamist hanged in the 1960s by the military. He then gave a surprise meeting in the streets of Istanbul. A million Istanbulites did not vote in the first round, that is to say a tenth of the voters of the city whom the president therefore tried to seduce at all costs, a few hours before the opening of the polling stations. Europe 1 is on site.

“Erdoğan to death!”

On the swings, the children move to the rhythm of the campaign anthem. Red “Erdoğan” headbands clasp their heads and their parents listen religiously, facing the stage, to their reïs, their leader. “You are here 70,000 people and soon, you will call your cousins, your families, your friends, all your acquaintances to invite them to go to the polls! And Sunday evening, I am waiting for you all here, in this park at seaside, to celebrate our victory!” proclaims the outgoing president.

By way of arguments, the images of aircraft carriers, roads, drones scrolling on the giant screen. The list presented is endless. “I am sad because my mother is 97 years old. She is too old to move and could not vote. A voice is a voice. So my daughter, you better go vote! “, launches this old lady sitting in the shade of a tree to her daughter. “Yes, yes, Erdoğan until death!” she replies. Above her, the president’s face floats on a gigantic flag. He who has just tweeted as a final appeal: “I shout to each member of my nation, ‘not without you'”.