Tuesday May 23, 2023
ISTANBUL: Sinan Ogan, a relatively unknown hardline nationalist candidate who secured 5.2% of the vote in the first presidential election on May 14, has declared his support for President Tayyip Erdogan in the upcoming round. The endorsement gives Erdogan's campaign a significant boost while further complicating the path for opposition candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu.
Ogan's unexpected appearance as a potential "kingmaker" in the second round attracted attention from analysts and the public. During a press conference in Ankara, he announced his decision to support Erdogan, highlighting the role his campaign had played in elevating Turkish nationalists to influential players on the political stage. Ogan criticized Kilicdaroglu's National Alliance for not convincing him about the future and stressed the importance of continued efforts in the fight against terrorism.
In the initial vote, Erdogan secured 49.5% of support compared to Kilicdaroglu's 44.9%, with Erdogan's ruling party coalition also winning a parliamentary majority. That puts Erdogan in a favorable position as he aims to extend his two-decade rule in one of Turkey's most critical elections.
Ogan, a former academic and first-round presidential candidate representing the right-wing alliance led by the Victory Party, has been praised for his anti-immigrant stance, especially in a country that hosts the largest number of refugees worldwide. He expressed his intention to remove the two predominantly Kurdish parties from the political equation and strengthen Turkish nationalists and secularists.
Kilicdaroglu, the Republican People's Party (CHAP) candidate and leader of the six-party alliance, has pledged to reverse many of Erdogan's sweeping changes in domestic, foreign and economic policies, including addressing the cost-of-living crisis stemming from an unorthodox economic program.
Erdogan welcomed Ogan's support and expressed satisfaction with their shared views on the fight against terrorism and relations with the Turkic states. Erdogan also addressed Ogan's anti-immigrant stance, claiming that the government already had plans to resettle one million refugees in Syria, which could be further discussed with the Syrian government after the second round.
While Ogan's support is expected to boost Erdogan's campaign, it may also lead to divisions among Ogan's supporters. The winning side is ready to announce its position on the second leg separately. Ogan's strong performance in the initial vote surprised pollsters who had predicted Kilicdaroglu as the front-runner, and pointed to an unpredictable surge in nationalist support.
As the second round approaches, Kilicdaroglu has stepped up his rhetoric, vowing to repatriate all migrants if elected. In addition, a member of Erdogan's alliance, the Justice Party, broke away from the bloc over the weekend and backed Kilicdaroglu in the upcoming vote.
Faced with the remaining candidates, some voters express disillusionment and refrain from participating in the second round. One Ogan supporter living in Germany shared her reluctance to vote for either candidate because of their association with terrorist organizations.
Ogan's political career includes entering parliament in 2011 with the nationalist MPH, unsuccessfully running for the leadership of the party in 2015 and then being expelled.
