Foreign policy: Erdogan may interfere with the election result

The world press is closely following the elections on May 14.

In an article titled “Elections in Turkey will not be free or fair, but the opposition can still win”, published in Foreign Policy magazine, a leading US publication, it was stated that the opposition was ahead in the polls. and President Erdoğan could put an end to his political career.

In the article, where it is pointed out that Erdogan, who gradually increased the pressure on the opposition and the press during his rule, intervened in the elections several times in the last 10 years, but was not always successful, it is recalled that Ekrem İmamoğlu won the elections with a landslide after the votes were counted in the 2019 Istanbul mayoral election.

Foreign Policy pointed out that the AKP has many tactics to change the outcome of the elections, such as recent changes in the electoral law, pressure on the opposition, arbitrary punishment of freedom of expression and the use of public resources. In the article, which claimed that Erdogan tried to silence his opponents with the AKP’s influence in the judiciary, it was emphasized that the opposition was even exposed to armed attacks as the elections approached.

ERDOGAN’S WEAKEST POINT…

In the article, which included the interpretation that punishments and pressures against freedom of speech and press have become the norm in Erdogan Turkey, the reasons that weakened Erdogan were also pointed out. Foreign Policy, which wrote that Erdogan’s weakest point before the February 6 earthquakes was the mismanagement of the Turkish economy, claimed that he increased salaries several times to maintain his power base.

Commenting that a number of dangerous scenarios await the opposition in the elections, the magazine noted that if Erdogan loses by a narrow margin, he can try to bridge the gap through the YSK, or if he loses, he can challenge the result. In the article, it was stated that this risk will increase further if the election goes to the second round.

For these reasons, it was stated in the letter that the international community should carefully monitor the elections and openly warn Erdogan about irregularities. Emphasizing that the peaceful transfer of power is of great importance in Turkey, the FT concluded the article with the comment that democracy in the country is in danger.