The leader of Turkey’s Victory Party, which is known for its anti-immigration stance, has announced that he will support Kemal Kilicdaroglu, thus increasing his chances of victory, Reuters writes.
Umit Ozdag, leader of the nationalist Victory Party, which received 2.2% of the vote in the parliamentary elections, has called on supporters to vote for Kilicdaroglu, who will try to end the 20-year rule of the current president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on the 28th of May. The encouragement could balance the support that Sinan Ogan, who was the candidate of the far-right alliance in the first round of the elections, assured Erdogan. Ogan remained third with 5.2% voter support. Erdogan won 49.5% of the vote, while Kilicdaroglu won 44.9%.
Experts point out that many haven’t yet decided in favor of a candidate,
and this may happen as a result of the second round of elections.
Ozdag informed that his party agreed with Kilicdaroglu on a plan to return migrants to their country of origin within a year, in compliance with international laws and human rights. Similar negotiations have also taken place with Erdogan’s party, but Ozdag has decided not to support the current president, as he does not have a plan for the repatriation of migrants.
Erdogan’s strong showing has surprised and confused pollsters, as pre-election polls showed Kilicdaroglu in the lead. The party led by Erdogan has won a majority in parliament, and he has said that a vote for him is a vote for stability.
Kilicdaroglu took a tougher stance after the first round of elections and announced that he would begin the repatriation of migrants immediately after his election. According to the Interior Ministry, there are about five million refugees in Turkey, of which 3.3 million are Syrian. The opposition candidate also promises to repeal many of the laws promulgated by Erdogan and focus on the fight against terrorism.
Read also: Erdogan’s rival promises to free Turkey from refugees