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The ultra-nationalist Sinan Ogan (54) pledges his support to Recep Tayyip Erdogan (69) for the second round in Turkey. He was third in the round. The ultra-nationalist has released his long-awaited election recommendation and pledged his support to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ahead of Sunday’s second round of elections.
“I call on the voters who voted for us on the first ballot to vote for Erdogan on the second ballot,” Ogan said in a televised address on Monday. This further increases the chances of an election victory for the favored Erdogan.
Ogan voters decide victory
Ogan had spoken to both runners-up prior to his recommendation. Regarding the negotiations for his election recommendation, Ogan said his main concerns were the following demands: “Terrorism will be fought, a timetable will be set for the return of refugees and Turkish state institutions will be strengthened.”
Incumbent Erdogan and opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu (74) face each other in the second round of Sunday’s presidential election. In the first round of the elections, Erdogan just missed the majority with 49.5 percent, Kilicdaroglu received 44.9 percent of the vote. Kilicdaroglu had 2.5 million fewer votes than Erdogan. Ogan received 5.2 percent of the vote on May 14, gaining the support of approximately 2.8 million voters.
Ogan’s share of the vote is a sign of the growing strength of Turkey’s nationalists, who, according to official figures, received a total of 22 percent of the vote across multiple parties in parliamentary elections on the same day.
Young people vote ultranationalists
Ogan attributes his success to the support of nationalists, Kemalists – supporters of the country’s founder Kemal Ataturk – and youth. “They think we are modern,” he told AFP news agency. Following the secular principles of Atatürk — who also founded the social-democratic CHP party, now led by opposition leader Kilicdaroglu — sets Ogan apart from Erdogan, whose party is rooted in Islam.
Kilicdaroglu was not deterred shortly after Ogan’s recommendation. “We come to save this country from terrorism and refugees,” he wrote on Twitter. At the same time, he called on people who had not voted in the first round and all young people to vote.
During the election campaign, the social democrat, who has an alliance of six opposition parties behind him, focused mainly on the restoration of democracy in Turkey. After the first round of elections, he sharpened his tone and wooed nationalist voters by announcing that he would “send all refugees home”.
Ogan’s appeal does not guarantee votes
Ogan’s election recommendation came as no surprise – the right-wing nationalist is politically closer to Erdogan than Kilicdaroglu. However, it remains to be seen whether the voters who voted for Ogan in the first round will actually vote for Erdogan in the second round. Many of them are protest voters who do not want to vote for Erdogan, who has been in power for 20 years.
Ogan’s call for Erdogan’s support is “no guarantee” that first-round voters will obey Ogan, Hamish Kinnear of the consulting firm Verisk Maplecroft told AFP. However, many political pundits are convinced that Erdogan will defeat Kilicdaroglu on Sunday even without the support of Ogan supporters. (AFP)
Source: Blick
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
