The anti-Erdogan Kilicdaroglu (74) goes viral

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Kemal Kilicdaroglu (74) probably could not have imagined what he would bring about with his three-minute Twitter video entitled “I am Alevi”. The opposition candidate, who wants to end the 20-year rule of Recep Tayyip Erdogan (69) in the Turkish elections on May 14, sits at a desk full of books, with plastic bags and tomes still wrapped in foil on the shelves behind him . The video is also poorly lit. In short: what the leader of the social-democratic party CHP does seems very improvised.

Nevertheless, Kilicdaroglu’s video has been viewed more than 33 million times. No other political video has ever received so much circulation in Turkey. And hardly any other political message has been the subject of such controversy in recent times.

Kilicdaroglu booed in earthquake zone

Kilicdaroglu, who according to the latest polls has a real chance of winning the elections in May with his alliance of six opposition parties, discusses his Alevi identity in the video. The Alevis are an Islamic denomination in Turkey whose traditions differ greatly from the dominant Sunnis. For example, they have no mosques and do not fast during Ramadan: one of the reasons why Kilicdaroglu was booed when visiting the earthquake zone in eastern Turkey during the Eid al-Fitr fast.

“I am Alevi” says Kilicdaroglu in the video. “We cannot choose our identity. But other important things in life are. For example, who governs us or whether we want to live a better life in a free and prosperous society.”

Clear signal to the Kurdish minority

That is also a clear message to the Kurdish minority in Turkey, whose party does not participate in the opposition alliance. But the anti-Erdogan man Kilicdaroglu depends on their votes if he really wants to create the surprise.

In the first ballot on May 14, one of the two men would need at least 50 percent of the vote to be elected. Kilicdaroglu and Erdogan are likely to miss out on this as several splinter parties will vote as well. The weeks leading up to the second vote on May 28, when only Erdogan and Kilicdaroglu are still in the running, will be crucial. It’s quite possible that the hype surrounding the ‘alevis’ video will have long died down by then.

Source: Blick