Just under a week into Turkey's crucial presidential and parliamentary elections, Turkey's ruling Islamist party and opposition bloc accuse each other of using violence for political purposes — and of trying to overturn the election results through illegal means.
A violent attack on Sunday during an election rally became grounds for an exchange of accusations between the sides. One of the leaders of the opposition "Alliance of the Nation," Istanbul's popular mayor Ekrem Imamaulu, arrived at an opposition rally in the eastern Turkish city of Erzurum, an area considered a stronghold of Erdogan and his party. Imamaoglu gave a speech to thousands of supporters standing on his election bus. During the speech, dozens of rioters – apparently nationalist activists affiliated with the pro-Erdogan bloc – began throwing stones at the bus and at the speaker. Some of the bus's windows were smashed.
Imamaoglu (second from right) against the background of his election bus, photo: AP
Imamaulu's men forced him to get on the bus and leave. Imamaoglu later accused local police of failing to prevent rioters' violence, saying the attack was an "organized provocation" by local authorities, which are controlled by Erdogan's party. "These stones were not thrown at me but at the values, faith and unity of our nation," declared Imamaulu, who continued his campaign of mass rallies in Istanbul and Konya.
Erdogan addresses supporters in Istanbul on Sunday, Photo: Reuters
The United Opposition presidential candidate, Kemal Kilicdaroğlu, claimed that the attack on his deputy-designate was planned by their political opponents to intimidate the electorate. "Their goal is to intimidate people and keep them out of the polls," Kilicdaroglu said, "However, Turkey is the land of the reasonable majority. The majority will put an end to this evil." Kilicdaroğlu appealed to voters: "Focus on the May 14 vote, don't be angry, don't be offended, love our people. This is exactly what will destroy these terrorist groups. Bringing about change comes at a price and we are all willing to pay it."
While spokesmen for Erdogan and the ruling Justice and Development Party condemned the attack and any violence against politicians, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu blamed the main opposition party for the day of the attack and that Imamoglu's election rally was held without permission from local authorities. Other ruling party sources also claimed that the attack was a provocation by the main opposition party designed to cast a shadow over the success of Erdogan's rally in Istanbul, which organizers said was attended by 1.7 million people.
Today, after voting at Turkish missions abroad, there were reports of a clash between Erdogan's supporters and members of the Kurdish PKK underground at a polling station in the Netherlands. Voter turnout at polling stations abroad was the highest of any of the last elections. In the past, most Turks, who live abroad, voted for Erdogan.
Turkey's opposition representatives say Erdogan will not respect the election results if he loses, and will demand a rerun. On the other hand, members of the ruling party claim that the opposition is preparing to carry out a coup d'état on the day the official results of the elections are published, May 15.
Turkish public television broadcast recorded messages of the four presidential candidates. Erdogan called on Turks to vote for "trust and continuity of stability" and cling to the dream of turning the 21st century into the "Turkish century." His opponent Kilicdaroğlu's message was: "You don't choose me, you choose justice."
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