Turkey's opposition leader looks to emerge from Tayyip Erdogan's shadow
Categories: FOREIGN COUNTRIES
A veteran Turkish political leader who has struggled for years to have President Tayyip Erdogan voted out of office says it is "very clear" that his dream is drawing nearer, even as doubts remain about whether he will be the main opposition candidate at presidential elections set for 2023.In an interview, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), confidently predicted victory at the polls as Turkey suffers economic hardships brought on by Erdogan's unorthodox monetary policies. "Of course, five party leaders pronouncing me as candidate would be an honour. It also means they have trust," he told Reuters in his office on the 12th floor of the CHP's headquarters on the outskirts of Ankara.The six anti-Erdogan party leaders would discuss their candidate later, but first need to agree on economic, social and other policies for their joint platform. It is "very obvious and very clear" that whoever they choose will become president, he said. Erdogan's favourite target, he has stoically absorbed near-daily criticism and even scorns from the man who has dominated the country for nearly two decades.Erdogan's polls have slid to multi-year lows after his unorthodox interest rate cuts sparked a currency crisis late last year, which in turn sent living costs soaring and deepened poverty, especially among the president's working-class base. Though the opposition bloc has not named a presidential candidate, surveys by Metropoll show Kilicdaroglu is far less popular, at 28.5%, than three other possible names and than Erdogan himself, who 37.9% said they preferred in December."These surveys are of no importance for today," Kilicdaroglu said, adding that Yavas and Imamoglu would continue running the country's two biggest cities.Soaring prices recently - including 50% increases for electricity and 55% for food - have pushed more Turks into poverty. Turkey will send home the millions of Syrian refugees it hosts and re-establish diplomatic ties with President Bashar al-Assad if the opposition alliance wins the elections, Kilicdaroglu said."If needed the United Nations needs to get involved, a 100% guarantee should be received from Assad. That guarantee needs to be tied to international accords, that he will not attack them, that their material and life security will be preserved," he said.