Turkey Elections: Oğan Endorses Erdoğan in Runoff

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May 23, 2023

Image copyright: Presidency Of The Republic Of Türkiyestory last updated May 23, 2023

The Facts

At a press conference in the Turkish capital of Ankara on Monday, Turkey's third-place presidential candidate Sinan Oğan announced his endorsement of incumbent Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the May 28 runoff election.
The nationalist politician said his decision to support the current president, which followed a surprise meeting between the two on Friday, would be the "right" one "for our country and nation."

The Spin

Narrative A

With the additional support of the ultra-nationalist Oğan, the likelihood of Erdoğan's victory in the runoff elections has risen even further. The prospect that Erdoğan will continue his rule despite rampant corruption and economic mismanagement is rooted in the population's mounting nationalism, born of the long-standing Kurdish conflict, the refugee crisis, and pervasive government propaganda. While a victory for autocratic Erdoğan may be good news for strongmen worldwide, the country's economic situation will likely worsen, as Erdoğan increasingly surrounds himself not with experts but with loyalists.

Qantara.de

Narrative B

In order to win the runoff election, the Kılıçdaroğlu camp is systematically and aggressively peddling a gloomy picture of the government's economic performance and fabricating impressions that the economy will deteriorate if Erdoğan is reelected. This is all the more absurd given that the Turkish economy is one of the few in the world that has grown in recent years despite the pandemic and the Ukraine war. Moreover, inflation has fallen while employment has steadily grown, as has industrial production. With Erdoğan, the electorate is choosing stability and economic advancement.