Turkish politicians picked the head of the main opposition party to challenge President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in elections in two months’ time, hoping a familiar face can reverse a shaky campaign to unseat the country’s longest-serving leader.
(Bloomberg) — Turkish politicians picked the head of the main opposition party to challenge President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in elections in two months’ time, hoping a familiar face can reverse a shaky campaign to unseat the country’s longest-serving leader.
A grouping of opposition parties named Republican People’s Party Chairman Kemal Kilicdaroglu, 74, as its presidential candidate on Monday after a feud that almost collapsed the alliance last week.
Kilicdaroglu, a soft-spoken bureaucrat and economist by training, has led the party, also known by its Turkish initials CHP, for the past 13 years. His opposition alliance promises to undo the executive presidential system introduced by Erdogan five years ago in favor of a stronger parliament.
Speaking next to other leaders of the bloc, a jubilant Kilicdaroglu pledged to “carry Turkey to peaceful and joyful days.”
“We will run Turkey with consultation and reconciliation,” he said in televised remarks from capital Ankara. “As party leaders, we have agreed on a transition to a strengthened parliament system.”
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‘Nation Alliance’
The opposition bloc, known as the Nation Alliance, also promises a return to orthodox monetary policies and an “autonomous” central bank if elected. Currently, Erdogan has the power to directly appoint and fire the central bank governor and monetary policy committee members.
It’s partly why investors have been welcoming any development that seemed to boost the prospects of an opposition win in elections. Turkey’s benchmark Borsa Istanbul 100 Index closed 3.5% higher on Monday on the news that opposition parties bridged differences that brought the group to the brink of a collapse last week.
The vote — slated for May 14 — is seen as a crucial moment for markets and overseas investors who have been dumping Turkey’s volatile assets in recent years. Foreign investors sold more than $20 billion in Turkish stocks and bonds since 2018 as Erdogan stepped up his unconventional policies, pushing for lower borrowing costs even as inflation soared.
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Opposition Pledges
Kilicdaroglu’s main pledges include rooting out alleged corruption from the state and going after contractors who rose to prominent wealth on the back of government tenders while Erdogan was in power. He’s also promised to go after market regulators, whom he accused of turning a blind eye to “market manipulation” on the stock exchange, saying small investors were robbed of their already small gains.
Anti-Erdogan Bloc Vows to Ensure ‘Independent’ Central Bank (1)
The alliance — made up of six parties from across the political spectrum — has struggled for months to agree on a name, and one group briefly left the bloc because of the squabbles.
The drama meant the opposition risked squandering their best opportunity in years to topple Erdogan at elections. He’s been facing a public backlash over his government’s response to deadly earthquakes last month.
Anti-Erdogan Alliance Nears Collapse Over Leadership Spat (1)
Social democrat Kilicdaroglu faces an uphill battle to defeat Erdogan, 69. The Turkish leader has been garnering back support with incentives aimed at restoring Turks’ purchasing power. Kilicdaroglu has never defeated Erdogan in general or presidential elections in the last 13 years.
To win, he’ll have to secure all anti-Erdogan voters, including those of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party, HDP. The opposition’s hopes have been rising since 2019 when the opposition alliance led by Kilicdaroglu defeated Erdogan’s AK Party in mayoral elections in Istanbul and the capital Ankara.
It’s the first time that opposition parties, including Erdogan’s ex-aides, have joined forces to end the president’s 20-year rule. During his tenure Erdogan has assumed more presidential powers in a shift critics say has dented Turkey’s democracy and international standing.
The chairwoman of the nationalist IYI Party criticized Kilicdaroglu’s candidacy last week, threatening to split the opposition bloc. She called for the popular mayors of Ankara and Istanbul, Mansur Yavas and Ekrem Imamoglu, to run as candidates instead.
To avert total collapse, the opposition has proposed Yavas and Imamoglu as vice presidents to Kilicdaroglu, drawing Aksener back in the bloc.
The IYI Party helped the CHP to dent Erdogan’s AK Party dominance during the 2019 elections.
–With assistance from Tugce Ozsoy.
(Adds more details from opposition leader’s speech.)
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