Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan held his final campaign rallies in Istanbul on Saturday, accusing the opposition of working with US President Joe Biden to oust him as he made a final appeal before the biggest challenge to his government in 20 years, Reuters reported.

Polls show Erdogan trailing his main opposition rival, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, a day before one of the most important elections in Turkey’s modern history. However, if none of them gets more than 50% of the vote and wins outright, the vote will take place in a second round on May 28.

In contrast, a poll conducted by Piar shows that Kemal Kilicdaroglu would win with 51.3%, while Erdogan would remain in second place with 45.3%. And the Alf agency gives the leader of the People’s Republican Party 51.2%

• Turkey elections: Who is Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the rival who could beat Erdogan, and how he got into the spotlight

Voters will also elect a new parliament in what is likely to be a tight contest between the People’s Alliance, made up of Erdogan’s conservative Ruling and Development Party (AKP), the nationalist MHP and others, and Kilicdaroglu’s National Alliance of six opposition parties, including the secular Republican People’s Party (CHP). , founded by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.

Polling stations will open at 8:00 am (05:00 GMT) and close at 17:00 (14:00 GMT). By the end of Sunday, there may be a clear indication of whether there will be a second round of voting in the presidential election.

Erdogan’s campaign over the past month has focused on his government’s achievements in defense industry and infrastructure projects and his claim that the opposition would cancel those developments.

Erdogan says Biden gave the order to oust Erdogan

One of his theses was that the opposition takes orders from the West and that it will obey the wishes of Western countries if elected.

At a rally in Istanbul’s Umraniye district, Erdogan recalled comments made by US President Joe Biden and published by the New York Times in January 2020 when he was campaigning for the White House. At the time, Biden said Washington should encourage Erdogan’s opponents to defeat him in the election, stressing that he cannot be ousted in a coup.

The comments, which resurfaced later that year in a video that made Biden the most trending topic on Twitter in Turkey, were condemned by Ankara as “interventionist”.

“Biden gave the order to oust Erdogan, I know that. All my people know this,” 69-year-old Erdogan said. “If that’s the case, then tomorrow’s ballots will also give the answer to Biden,” he added.

Erdogan called Russia one of his closest allies

Erdogan also criticized Kilicdaroglu for his comments on Russia, calling Moscow an important partner for Turkey. “Russia has been one of our most important allies for agricultural products,” he said.

Turkey’s Western allies were outraged by the closer ties between Ankara and Moscow under Erdogan. Turkey is a NATO member that has supported Kyiv since Moscow’s invasion of its neighbor last year, but has not imposed sanctions against Russia.

Kilicdaroglu told Reuters on Friday that his party had strong evidence that Russia was responsible for releasing “deeply fake” content online ahead of Sunday’s election. He did not provide evidence, and Reuters was unable to independently verify this.

But he added that if he wins the post of president, he will preserve Ankara’s good relations with Moscow.

• Elections in Turkey: Ankara will maintain close ties with Russia regardless of who wins the election

Expectations and excitement are high among Turks ahead of the vote, with some worried that tensions, even violence, will rise when the results are announced.

While there have been concerns about how Erdogan might react if he loses, the president said in a televised interview on Friday that he would accept the outcome of the election regardless of the outcome.

Kılıçdaroğlu, a 74-year-old former civil servant, did not hold a rally on Saturday but instead visited the Atatürk mausoleum in Ankara. He was accompanied by crowds of supporters, each carrying a carnation to place on the grave.

The president’s re-election bid has hinged heavily on opposition accusations of collaboration with Kurdish militants and those Ankara holds responsible for a 2016 coup attempt.

Kilicdaroglu is a “separatist,” Erdogan said later in Kasimpasa, the Justice and Development Party stronghold where he grew up. “Whatever the terrorists are in Qandil, unfortunately it’s (Kilicdaroglu),” he added, referring to the whereabouts of the leaders of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

Kilicdaroglu denies such accusations.

Literature:

• Erdogan’s opponent accuses Russia of using “deep fakes”
• Erdogan, the master of election campaigns, faces his toughest competition yet / How he will react to a possible defeat
• The most important vote of 2023. What you need to know about what’s happening this weekend
• Recep Erdogan is emptying Turkey’s coffers a week before the elections: a promise to hundreds of thousands of state employees