Turkey’s Opposition Parties, Candidates Eye For Upset Victory in Polls

Turkey’s opposition parties and presidential candidates appear hopeful for an upset victory to unseat President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his ruling party in the elections on Sunday as polls show a knife-edge situation.

On Thursday, main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) presidential candidate Muharrem Ince addressed more than a million supporters in the secular stronghold of Izmir in the Aegean Coast.

He rides a popular support and taps into a strong resentment among the public toward the government after 16 years of rule defined by ups and downs, a decade-long economic growth and a current looming crisis in the offing, democratic reforms and dramatic setbacks in the rule of law over the past few years.

Polls reveal an uncomfortable picture for Erdogan who now admits that his party would lose the majority in Parliament. But polls also suggest that the incumbent president may not win the elections in the first round and there is a decent chance for the opposition to cruise Ince into a victory after coalescing around him in a unified display of support.

According to a recent survey conducted by SONAR polling firm, Erdogan gets 47 percent of the votes while his main contender Ince would garner around 33 percent. With this result, the survey shows that the presidential elections goes to the second round. And Ince would win 2 to 3 percent more votes than Erdogan in the second round with the support of other opposition parties.

All other candidates and parties pledged to support Ince if he runs against Erdogan in the second round.

Good (IYI) Party presidential candidate Meral Aksener, Islamist Felicity (Saadet) Party candidate Temel Karamollaoglu and pro-Kurdish People’s Democracy Party (HDP) candidate Selahattin Demirtas all voiced support for Ince in his bid against Erdogan.

In return, Ince vowed to support Aksener or any candidate who makes to the second round.

According to SONAR poll, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) also would lose the parliamentary majority in the parliamentary elections. On Wednesday, President Erdogan first time conceded such a possibility and gave green light to the party to forge a coalition government with another party in Parliament if it fails to secure its majority.

The admission of the bleak prospects reveals a knife-edge situation for the embattled president who sees his entire career, and probably freedom, at stake. He may face trial over a corruption scandal he fought back to kill off more than four years ago.