Bullets, distortion of truth and lynchings in Türkiye

Türkiye’s election authority on Friday finalized the list of presidential candidates who will compete in the May 14 elections. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, one of the four remaining contenders, spent the first day of the campaign in the earthquake zone, where he attended the groundbreaking ceremony for new homes in Gaziantep and Kilis. Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, whom the Nation Alliance endorsed, attempted to further enlarge the opposition bloc by meeting former Presidents Ahmet Necdet Sezer and Abdullah Gül. Meanwhile, the Homeland Party’s (MP) Muharrem Ince announced that Kılıçdaroğlu did not ask him to join the Nation Alliance during a courtesy visit on Thursday. Finally, the Good Party’s (IP) provincial headquarters in Istanbul was hit by stray bullets. The opposition quickly blamed the government, but it became clear that a nightwatchman had fired his gun to prevent a burglary – only to hit the building by mistake.

Election safety

The political establishment’s top priority is election safety – with the world watching and terrorist groups like the PKK and the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) resuming their harmful activities. The government and the opposition are jointly responsible for ensuring that the Turkish people elect their next president and parliamentarians, who will govern the country for five years in a peaceful and secure atmosphere. In contrast, IP Chair Meral Akşener’s attempt to distort campaign rhetoric to blame Erdoğan for the stray bullet that struck her party’s offices was “opportunistic” and “provocative.” Politicians must stay calm and demonstrate that they will prevent chaos together. Baseless accusations won’t lead the country anywhere.

‘Dividing the Left’

Ince, a presidential candidate, remains the target of a severe "lynching" campaign orchestrated by the opposition. The reasons are pretty obvious: the pro-Republican People’s Party (CHP) media are alarmed that some nationalist/neo-Kemalist voters, who are unhappy with Kılıçdaroğlu’s presidential bid and the Peoples’ Democratic Party’s (HDP) decision to support him, have turned to the MP and its chairperson. Some media personalities, coaching the Nation Alliance ahead of the upcoming elections, doubled down on partisanship to accuse Ince of “dividing the Left” and even “treason.” Ironically, they conveniently omit the fact that Kılıçdaroğlu has not extended any invitation to the Homeland Party leader. Indeed, Ince announced that the CHP chair did not ask him to join the Nation Alliance during his visit, which took place just one day before the finalization of the presidential candidate list, effectively protested being "lynched" exclusively. Kılıçdaroğlu, who merely visited the MP to avoid having to explain why he did not contact that party’s chairperson, cared less about his party’s 2018 presidential candidate than the leaders of right-wing fringe parties. Kılıçdaroğlu may have thought that Ince would be prone to disintegrating the opposition bloc or less receptive to his imposition – unlike Akşener. In the end, the prominent opposition leader pushed Ince away. Ongoing attempts to consolidate the opposition bloc fuel anger and, by extension, metaphorical ‘lynchings.’ In this sense, the accusation that Ince may help Erdoğan get reelected gives way to the threat that he “won’t be able to show his face in public.” In this regard, the upcoming Turkish elections are not characterized by complete right-left polarization. Right-wing parties and former Justice and Development Party (AK Party) members are at the CHP’s table. In truth, anti-Erdoğanism represents the backbone of the opposition campaign, but that is not enough to win. That’s because neo-Kemalist CHP and IP voters do not think that anti-Erdoğanism could justify Kılıçdaroğlu’s engagement with the HDP. Likewise, they are seriously frustrated by the PKK and FETÖ’s thinly veiled endorsement of the prominent opposition leader. In their view, Kılıçdaroğlu and his many vice presidential candidates are not fit to govern Türkiye. Here’s the bottom line: targeting Ince so severely ahead of the first round would make it impossible for the opposition to get Ince’s supporters to participate in the second round. One way or another, nothing can stop the people from expressing their views on election day – neither bullets and distortions of truth nor rage and "lynchings." [Daily Sabah, April 3 2023]