WSJ: Erdogan could not win despite advantages

As Turkey is locked in the second round of the presidential elections to be held on February 28, the world press continues its electoral commentary without ceasing.

The election analysis, written by the Wall Street Journal editorial team, commented that Erdoğan was unable to win outright despite all sorts of advantages.

In the article, which claimed that Turkey’s voters wanted change in the May 14 elections, it was claimed that the majority of the people voted against Erdogan, but was still able to win thanks to Erdogan’s authoritarian control over the institutions.

Noting that Tayyip Erdoğan, who has ruled the country for 20 years, received fewer votes in almost all provinces than in the last election, the Wall Street Journal wrote that the government destroyed the independence of the Central Bank, referring to the collapse. in the Turkish lira and rapidly rising inflation. Recalling the anger towards the government after the earthquake, the newspaper noted that the AKP lost 18 seats in parliament and barely retained a majority with its coalition partners.

‘Half the people are angry’

Noting that post-election OSCE observers emphasized that Erdoğan has an uneven advantage and that his freedom of expression is being suppressed, WSJ also drew attention to pressure on independent media.

The article noted that nearly 17,000 people in Turkey faced charges of insulting Erdoğan and the government last year, noting that Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu shared his messages via YouTube and social media due to media limitations.

Writing that Erdogan could win in the second round with all these advantages, the WSJ assessed that half of the people were still angry with Erdogan, who did not relinquish power.