After a surprise victory in the first round of Turkey’s presidential election two weeks ago, Tayyip Erdogan is leaving this Sunday as the top favorite to win the second round, although the opposition continues to believe its candidate Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu can make a historic comeback in a vote that could be decisive for the future of the country.
The two candidates finished the first round by 2.5 million votes – Erdogan had 49.24% and Kilicdaroglu had 45.07% – with the outgoing president contradicting polls that indicated a possible victory for his opponent in the first round. The third-most voted candidate, nationalist Sinan Ogan, supported Erdogan in the second round, bolstering the favoritism of the outgoing president, who is seeking an unprecedented third consecutive term and now leads all polls.
Over the past two weeks, two candidates have hardened their discourse: Erdogan insisted on his rival’s alleged ties to Kurdish PKK terrorists, and Kilicdaroglu tried to win nationalist votes with a promise to repatriate “13 million migrants a year.” The opposition candidate also promises to stabilize the Turkish economy and bring Turkey closer to NATO and Europe.
Author: Ricardo Ramos
Source: CM Jornal
I’m Dave Martin, and I’m an experienced journalist working in the news industry. As a part of my work, I write for 24 News Reporters, covering mostly sports-related topics. With more than 5 years of experience as a journalist, I have written numerous articles on various topics to provide accurate information to readers.