2023-05-19 19:15:55
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited, on Friday, the losing candidate in the first round of the presidential elections, Sinan Ogan, surprisingly, in conjunction with the date set by the latter, when he will reveal which of the candidates will be supported in the run-off.
The Associated Press reported that an hour-long meeting between Erdogan and Ogan took place in the latter’s office in Istanbul.
No comments were made following the meeting.
The meeting coincides with the date set by Ogan regarding which of the two candidates will compete in the second round of the Turkish presidential elections: Recep Tayyip Erdogan, candidate of the “People’s” coalition, or Kamal Kilicdaroglu, candidate of the opposition “nation” coalition.
Before the meeting, Erdogan said in a televised interview that he would not submit to Ogan’s demands, adding: “I am not a person who likes to negotiate in this way. The people will be the king-makers.”
Ogan is now seen as a “kingmaker” in Turkey following he scored 5.2 percent of the total votes in the first round of the presidential elections.
Erdogan and Kılıçdaroğlu failed to achieve the decisive percentage, which is more than 50 percent of the total votes, so they need the votes of Oğan.
Ogan, a hard-line nationalist candidate, wants to adopt political positions and obtain positions, including the position of vice president, in order to support any of the candidates, stressing that “nothing will be free.”
He wants a tough stance on the Kurdish issue, in addition to setting a timetable for the return of millions of refugees, including regarding 3.7 million Syrians.
He said in a press interview that he might call on his supporters to support Erdogan.
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