Turkish presidential candidates wrap up campaigning ahead of Sunday runoff
Turkey's presidential candidates have wrapped up their respective campaigns ahead of a runoff vote, both calling for a massive turnout in the Sunday election.
The first round of the presidential election, which was held on May 14, stopped short of giving either sitting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan or his main opposition contestant, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the overwhelming majority they needed to secure the country's top post.
Registering an 87-percent turnout during the first round, the Turkish electorate marked 49.5% of the ballots in support of Erdogan and 44.9% in favor of Kilicdaroglu.
The aspirants, who both claimed victory to be within reach, spent their last electioneering hours trying to appeal to the eight million, who did not participate in the first round.
Erdogan urged a greater turnout, while his opponent accused him of having spent his two-decade-old rule to drag the country into a "dark pit."
"If you really want it, we'll all get out of this dark pit together," he wrote in a Tweet, adding, "I am calling to all our people regardless of their view or lifestyle. This is the last exit. Everyone who loves their country should go to the ballot box!"
Tüm baskılara, tüm yasaklara, tüm karartmalara rağmen, eğer sen istersen bunu başarırız. Sen gerçekten istersen eğer, bu karanlık çukurdan hep birlikte çıkarız. Görüşü, yaşam biçimi ne olursa olsun; tüm insanlarımıza sesleniyorum. Bu son çıkıştır. Vatanını seven sandığa gelsin! pic.twitter.com/3Fcy56pD9h
— Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu (@kilicdarogluk) May 26, 2023
Erdogan, for his part, urged all the eligible voters to take part in the election as he addressed flag-waving supporters in Istanbul's Beykoz district during his final campaign rally.
"Are we running to the polls tomorrow? Will we cast our votes from the early hours in the morning? We will not miss anyone that voted in the first round," he said, adding, "We will encourage people who could not go [to the ballot box in the first round]. Will we complete the work that we left unfinished on May 14, with an overwhelming majority, hopefully by making the gap even wider tomorrow?"
Değerli dava ve yol arkadaşlarım!
— Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (@RTErdogan) May 27, 2023
14 Mayıs’ta olduğu gibi yarın da sabahın erken saatlerinde, en geç 06.30’da sandık başında bulunalım.…
The chief executive's campaign received a boost earlier this week when Sinan Ogan -- a nationalist politician who came third with 5.2% of the first round's vote -- endorsed him.
Kilicdaroglu, who enjoys the support of a six-party opposition alliance, has secured the endorsement of the anti-immigrant Victory Party for the runoff.
Polls will open at 8 a.m. local time (0500 GMT) and close at 5 p.m. (1400 GMT) for more than 60 million people who are eligible to vote. Unofficial results are expected to emerge by late Sunday.
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