Turkey’s possible kingmaker visits presidential run-off rivals
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Turkey’s third place candidate for the presidency, Sinan Ogan, and his political alliance met separately on Friday with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his rival Kemal Kilicdaroglu, to discuss the second round of voting.
Ogan got just over five percent of the May 14 vote, far behind Erdogan who led with 49.52 percent of the vote and Kilicdaroglu who got 44.88 percent. The two frontrunners will face off on May 28 with Ogan possibly playing the role of kingmaker if he endorses either candidate.
Ogan’s meeting with Erdogan in Istanbul lasted over an hour. Neither side has released a statement as of Friday evening.
In Ankara, Umit Ozdag, the leader of the Victory (Zafer) Party that fieldedOgan as its candidate for the presidency, met with Kilicdaroglu.
“We had some questions, asked them, and got detailed answers, and within the framework of the answers we got, we will do assessments with our authorized bodies,” Ozdag said in a joint press conference following the meeting.
Ozdag said he will discuss with Ogan before publicly stating their position on the second round of voting.
Ogan ran an anti-refugee campaign, promising if elected to deport all illegal immigrants from Turkey and return Syrians to their country. Anti-refugee sentiment is growing in Turkey, tied to economic hardship.
Erdogan, in contrast, has embraced pro-refugee policies.
In an interview released on Friday, Erdogan told CNN that he will not bend to Ogan’s wishes. He also dismissed Ogan’s position as kingmaker, stating that it is the people who make the decision.
Before the May 14 vote, polls had put Kilicdaroglu ahead of Erdogan. After not doing as well as expected, Kilicdaroglu has taken a harder stance on the refugee issue as he campaigns for the run-off. He promised to deport Syrian refugees and accused Erdogan of not protecting the borders, which he labeled the country’s “dignity.”
Turkey hosts over 3.6 million Syrian refugees who fled a civil war that has torn their country apart for more than 12 years.
Ogan got over 2.5 million votes in the first round and his endorsement of either presidential candidate could decide the race.
Under Turkey’s electoral law, the president must be elected with at least 50 percent plus one of the vote. If no one succeeds in the first round, the top two candidates go head-to-head in a second vote two weeks later.
Ogan got just over five percent of the May 14 vote, far behind Erdogan who led with 49.52 percent of the vote and Kilicdaroglu who got 44.88 percent. The two frontrunners will face off on May 28 with Ogan possibly playing the role of kingmaker if he endorses either candidate.
Ogan’s meeting with Erdogan in Istanbul lasted over an hour. Neither side has released a statement as of Friday evening.
In Ankara, Umit Ozdag, the leader of the Victory (Zafer) Party that fieldedOgan as its candidate for the presidency, met with Kilicdaroglu.
“We had some questions, asked them, and got detailed answers, and within the framework of the answers we got, we will do assessments with our authorized bodies,” Ozdag said in a joint press conference following the meeting.
Ozdag said he will discuss with Ogan before publicly stating their position on the second round of voting.
Ogan ran an anti-refugee campaign, promising if elected to deport all illegal immigrants from Turkey and return Syrians to their country. Anti-refugee sentiment is growing in Turkey, tied to economic hardship.
Erdogan, in contrast, has embraced pro-refugee policies.
In an interview released on Friday, Erdogan told CNN that he will not bend to Ogan’s wishes. He also dismissed Ogan’s position as kingmaker, stating that it is the people who make the decision.
Before the May 14 vote, polls had put Kilicdaroglu ahead of Erdogan. After not doing as well as expected, Kilicdaroglu has taken a harder stance on the refugee issue as he campaigns for the run-off. He promised to deport Syrian refugees and accused Erdogan of not protecting the borders, which he labeled the country’s “dignity.”
Turkey hosts over 3.6 million Syrian refugees who fled a civil war that has torn their country apart for more than 12 years.
Ogan got over 2.5 million votes in the first round and his endorsement of either presidential candidate could decide the race.
Under Turkey’s electoral law, the president must be elected with at least 50 percent plus one of the vote. If no one succeeds in the first round, the top two candidates go head-to-head in a second vote two weeks later.