Turkish opposition alleges irregularities in elections
Turkey is going through a historic moment. The electoral process in which the Eurasian country is immersed could radically change the course of the nation or, on the contrary, consolidate the Islamist leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan in power. The situation in the country in recent weeks has been extremely tense. And no wonder. Erdogan's victory would mean the consolidation of authoritarianism, while his defeat could generate hope for the population, especially among the youngest.
These elections also have to take into account the consequences of February's devastating earthquake, as well as the economic crisis and high inflation, factors that will play a key role in the elections.
In the midst of this delicate scenario, tensions have been further heightened after the main opposition party, the CHP, has denounced alleged irregularities in thousands of ballot boxes during the first round of the elections. Muharrem Erkek, deputy chairman of the CHP, has highlighted "differences in results" in 2,269 ballot boxes for the presidential election and 4,825 for the parliamentary vote. "In some cases it is one vote, in others it is ten, and in some it is 300 votes," Erkek said, according to Turkish media such as Gazete Duvar.
The deputy chairman of the opposition political formation has pointed out that, for example, in some ballot boxes the votes received by Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu - chairman of the CHP - were registered for Muharrem Ince, leader of the Fatherland Party (MP). "There are hundreds of similar examples," acknowledged Erkek, who warned that they are following "every vote".
Despite the alleged fraud, Erkek has encouraged all Turks to go to the polls on 28 May, when the second round between Erdogan and Kılıçdaroğlu will be held. According to the CHP deputy chairman, "the next election will be much simpler". "The 14 May election ended without a winner. The president did not receive the electorate's vote of confidence," he recalled. "Please, everyone go to the polls. Above all, young people, women. Let's vote for equality, freedom, justice and democracy," he concluded.
The CHP is not alone in revealing irregularities in the first round of the elections. Observers from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) have also highlighted that Turkey's High Election Board (YSK) showed a "lack of transparency" in its handling of the elections.
According to Reuters, Erdogan and his political party, the Justice and Development Party (AKP), had "an unjustified advantage over opposition parties that had already faced unequal conditions during the election campaign".
In addition, Jan Petersen, head of the election observation mission of the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), also referred to the "overwhelming bias of the public media and limitations on freedom of expression".
Despite these problems, election monitoring bodies welcomed the high turnout. "Turkish democracy is proving to be incredibly resilient," said the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). However, it stressed that Turkey "does not comply with the basic principles for holding democratic elections".
In the first round, Erdogan won 49.5% of the vote, compared to more than 52% he received in the 2018 election. Kılıçdaroğlu, meanwhile, had 44.9%.