Turkish opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu emerged on Monday as the primary challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in landmark elections expected on May 14, after a six-party alliance picked him as expected as its presidential candidate.
Kilicdaroglu, 74, head of the country’s second-biggest party, aims to emerge from Erdogan’s shadow and win against the president.
Kilicdaroglu promised to govern Türkiye with consultation
“Our table is the table of peace. Our only goal is to take the country to days of prosperity, peace, and joy,” Kilicdaroglu, chairman of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), told about 2,000 people gathered in Ankara. “We will govern Türkiye with consultation and consensus.”
Polls suggest that the presidential and parliamentary votes in two months will be tight.
Voters will decide who leads Türkiye, how it is governed, where its economy is headed, and what role it may play in easing conflict in Ukraine and the Middle East.
Kilicdaroglu’s prospects could be boosted by a last-minute deal on Monday to reunite the opposition bloc splintered on Friday when the big right-wing Iyi Party opposed his candidacy.
Aksener’s proposal includes Imamoglu, Yavas
After a tense 72 hours, the alliance met again on Monday and accepted an Iyi proposal that Ekrem Imamoglu and Mansur Yavas, the popular CHP mayors of Istanbul and Ankara respectively, would later be appointed as vice presidents.
Kilicdaroglu, in his speech late on Monday, said the leaders of the other five opposition parties would also serve as vice presidents.
Reflecting concerns over Kilicdaroglu’s ability to win, Iyi leader Meral Aksener left the alliance on Friday, saying it should choose one of the mayors to take on Erdogan because they would fare better.
But she returned on Monday.