Leftist firebrand seeks to end Turkey opposition’s losing streak
CORUM, Turkey: Turkey’s opposition is fielding a leftist candidate known for impassioned speeches and even anti-American rhetoric in a bid to pose a serious challenge to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in June’s elections.
With the election just over a month away, the Republican People’s Party (CHP) – a bastion of secular Turkey founded by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk – is hoping to reverse its electoral fortunes which has seen it struggling to win more than a quarter of the vote.
This time, party chief Kemal Kilicdaroglu decided not to run for the presidency on June 24, instead tapping Muharrem Ince, a senior MP and former physics teacher who has twice tried to oust him as leader.
A gifted speaker who is unafraid of mimicking Erdogan’s tactics, Ince is a total contrast to mildmannered Kilicdaroglu who, since taking over in 2010, has failed dent the president’s armour.
Since his nomination earlier this month, Ince has criss- crossed the country giving impassioned speeches, riding a bike, driving a tractor and wearing a flatcap in a bid to show he is close to the people’s concerns.
And many of his rallies have been well outside of the CHP heartland.
“He has been combative in his political career, has close contacts with the people in a similar way to Erdogan and is above all witty and tolerant,” Tanju Tosun, a professor at Ege University, told AFP.
Such things, he said, are ‘key’ for competing against Erdogan.
At a pre- election rally in Corum, an Anatolian city east of Ankara, Ince struts onto the stage in his trademark informal style, not wearing a tie.
Seeking to go beyond polarising party politics, CHP branding is not encouraged with supporters just waving Turkish flags.
“I want to reunite and reconcile this nation, bring it under one big umbrella,” he promises, criticising Erdogan’s polarising rhetoric and saying he will not be a ‘ranting and raving’ leader.
In November 2015 parliamentary polls, over 61 per cent of Corum voted for Erdogan’s ruling party but CHP officials claim to be making inroads.
On his way to the rally, Erdal Uzunkaya agrees the country needs a fresh face in leadership, pointing to the weakening Turkish lira and rising petrol prices.
“Ince is a brave person. He makes me proud.”
But not everyone is convinced, with tradesman Adnan Ercan still undecided.
“It will become clearer at the end,” he said.
In another break with tradition, Ince has sought to build bridges with groups who for years have been well outside the CHP’s regular support base. — AFP