Erdogan seeks to cement power
Turkey president facing robust opposition as country flocks to polls
ANKARA: Turkey held high-stakes presidential and parliamentary elections that could consolidate President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s hold on power or curtail his vast political ambitions.
Voters flocked to polling centres to cast ballots in an election that will complete Turkey’s transition to a new executive presidential system, a move approved in a controversial referendum last year.
Erdogan, 64, is seeking re-election for a new five-year term with hugely increased powers under the new system, which he insists will bring prosperity and stability to Turkey, especially after a failed coup attempt in 2016 that has left the country under a state of emergency since then.
His ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), is hoping to retain its majority in parliament.
Still, Erdogan – who has been in power since 2003 – is facing a more robust and united opposition this time.
Opposition candidates have vowed to return Turkey to a parliamentary democracy with strong checks and balances and have decried what they calls Erdogan’s “one-man rule”.
Five candidates are running against Erdogan in the presidential race. Although Erdogan is seen as the front-runner, he must secure more than 50% of the vote for an outright win.
If that threshold is not reached, a runoff could be held on July 8 between the leading two contenders.
Erdogan’s main challenger is 54-year-old former physics teacher Muharrem Ince, who is backed by the centre-left main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP).
Ince has wooed crowds with an unexpectedly engaging election campaign and his rallies in Turkey’s three main cities of Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir drew massive numbers.
Also challenging Erdogan is 61-year-old former Interior Minister Meral Aksener. The only female presidential candidate, she broke away from Turkey’s main nationalist party over its support for Erdogan and formed the centre-right, nationalist Good Party.
Selahattin Demirtas, the candidate of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party, or HDP, was forced to run his campaign from prison, where he is being held in pre-trial detention on terrorism-related charges. Demirtas denies any wrongdoing, saying that his imprisonment is politically motivated so that Erdogan’s government can stay in power.
Turkey will also be electing 600 lawmakers to parliament – 50 more than in the previous assembly. The constitutional changes have allowed parties to form alliances, paving the way for Ince and Aksener’s parties to join a small Islamist party in the “Nation Alliance” against Erdogan.
The pro-Kurdish HDP was left out of the alliance and needs to pass a 10% threshold to win seats in parliament. If it does that it could cost Erdogan’s AKP and its nationalist ally in the “People Alliance” dozens of seats – leading it to lose its parliamentary majority.
More than 59 million Turkish citizens – including three million expatriates – are eligible to vote in the elections. — AP