He said he wanted to re-Islamize his country, but in a way that respected freedom and democracy. His promise is to become a “Muslim Democrat” somewhere, just as the “Christian Democrats” have been for decades.
Twenty years after he came to power in Turkey, first as prime minister, then as president, and finally as president, with extended powers to decide almost everything alone and control his regime (political opponents, media, etc.), Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s authoritarian game crystallized. That won’t stop 60 million Turks from advancing more comfortably than expected to a new electoral victory this Sunday in an unprecedented second round.
In fact, Erdogan’s lead in the first round (+4.5%), rallying the nationalist Ogun to his cause, resulted in a lower-than-expected performance of Klecetaroklu in the first round and a lower-than-expected approval vote in the end. All these elements suggest that a defeat for Erdogan on Sunday would be a huge surprise, says AKP leader following earthquakes that ravaged the country.
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