As Turks head to the polls this Sunday to settle a historic race, Victory Party’s Ümit Özdağ endorses the opposition’s candidate Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. The news comes only a few days after Sinan Oğan, former presidential hopeful backed by Özdağ himself, turned around to back Erdoğan, signaling the end of Özdağ’s coalition. This presents a massive gamble however, as Mr. Kılıçdaroğlu risks losing precious Kurdish votes in favor of nationalist ones.
In a surprising turn of events, third-party candidate Sinan Oğan announced his endorsement of incumbent President Erdoğan on Monday (May 22nd). Oğan had secured a little over 5% in the May 14th elections, a margin Kılıçdaroğlu desperately needed to defeat Erdoğan. However while Oğan backs Erdoğan, the progenitor of the anti-immigration coalition Ümit Özdağ has endorsed Kılıçdaroğlu after days of negotiation behind the scenes.
Kılıçdaroğlu and Özdağ held a joint press conference at Victory Party’s headquarters. Kılıçdaroğlu stated; “We have attained good results. I hope that Turkey will once again come together under far better circumstances.”
Özdağ stated: “A nation cannot remedy its economy and security with 13 million refugees. As we headed to the polls on May 14th, we asked for votes from the electorate in an effort to send refugees home.”
“Numan Kurtulmıuş (AKP Deputy Chairman) asked us for our support. We asked for their position on refugees. We came to understand that they had no policy positions regarding refugees. However, Mr. Kılıçdaroğlu does. We came to an agreement that would once again make our streets safe, keeping in line with international laws. Thus the Victory party has decided to endorse Kılıçdaroğlu for the runoff election.”
Özdağ also attempted to appeal to ruling coalition voters, saying: “Vote for Kılıçdaroğlu, if you don’t want your country to become Immigrantistan”
The nationalist gambit
Ümit Özdağ has become a major name in Turkish political zeitgeist only in the last few years as Turkey faces a refugee and illegal immigration crisis. Turkey is home to millions of migrants and refugees due to massive destabilizing events in the region such as the Syrian Civil War, Fall of Afghanistan and most recently, the Russo-Ukrainian war.
However, Özdağ’s endorsement doesn’t appear have come cheap as Mr. Özdağ has alluded to the possibility that he would be appointed Minister of Interior should the opposition emerge victorious. Mr. Özdağ has been negotiating with Mr. Kılıçdaroğlu for several days and prior to the press conference tweeted that he would become the Minister of Interior; a massively influential role, not only for immigration but for internal security as well.
Mr. Özdağ’s endorsement is a serious gamble for the opposition. Özdağ, a nationalist formerly in the ranks of the ruling coalition partner MHP, could cost Kılıçdaroğlu precious Kurdish votes. Nationalists and Kurdish voters have historically been at odds in Turkey, as nationalists have promoted ethno-nationalist policies that have sought to suppress Kurdish identity, leading to tension and outright violent clashes.
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In an effort to end 20-plus-years of AKP and Erdoğan rule, Kurdish voters came out in droves for Kılıçdaroğlu on May 14th, but it wasn’t enough to win the opposition the parliament and the presidency. While no presidential candidate managed to secure a majority in the first round, AKP-MHP coalition once again managed to gain a majority in parliament. With Kılıçdaroğlu 5 points behind current President Erdoğan, he needs all the votes he could get, while maintaining the votes he already has. While Mr. Kılıçdaroğlu is a famously skilled negotiator, able to forge coalitions out of ideologically incompatible parties, these relationships have often been tenuous. Thus Mr. Özdağ’s endorsement could spell victory or doom for the presidential hopeful.
Written for Medyascope by Murat Türsan
