Posted on 05/13/2023 7:11:47 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan leads Saturday prayers at Istanbul's iconic Hagia Sophia mosque before entering the election battle of his political life against a powerful secular rival.
The 69-year-old will be emulating a ritual that Ottoman Sultans performed before they led their men off to war as he braces for Sunday's parliamentary and presidential ballot.
Erdogan has never faced a more energised or united opposition than the one spearheaded by retired civil servant Kemal Kilicdaroglu and his disparate alliance of six parties.
The Turkish leader excelled at splitting his rivals and forging unlikely unions while winning one national election after another for 21 years.
But his Islamic-rooted party is reeling from anger over Turkey's economic meltdown and a crackdown on civil liberties during Erdogan's second decade of rule.
The six opposition parties have put aside their political and cultural differences and joined forces for the lone task of pushing Erdogan out.
They are officially supported by Turkey's main pro-Kurdish party -- a group that accounts for at least 10 percent of the vote.
"Enough is enough," Kurdish housewife Hafize Timurtas told AFP moments before campaigning officially concluded. "We can't take this anymore."
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
You really think he’s going to let himself lose?
No.
Yay democracy?
Yeah, the Sultans, they play Creole.
Doubt it. I bet the ballot boxes are stuffed.
Plus I suspect out in the sticks, Erdogan has overwhelming support, not so much in Istanbul, of course. But Istanbul is about as representative of Turkey, as New York City is to the US.
Against Erdogan?
Prayers? Prayers to whom? A false god.
Exactly
HUGE political statement: Hagia Sophia is a church converted to a mosque, then as a symbol of peace, a nonsectarian museum. Erdogan is using it as a mosque.
Easy for him to decline the votes from Istanbul. He's counting the votes. It'll be interesting to see what happens if the Turks found out that the election was rigged. Not much they can do about it. That's what we found out. Same deal in Brazil.
I cornered Dr. Oz about Hagia Sophia during his unsuccessful campaign for the US Senate (R-PA): Oz, as. Turkish citizen, believes that it should revert to being a museum.
Erdogan is an Islamist but Obama tried to overthrow him in a coup in July of 2016.
Now Biden is pushing along with US Ambassador Jeff “Never Trumper” Flake the opposition candidate for President with the worldwide mainstream media chiming in.
It belongs to the Turks. It will remain a Mosque. It will never go back to Constantinople.
This is rather a theatre. He will get an astounding, unbelievable number of votes out of nowhere.
I agree Obama. Erdogan is an @$$hole. He's against the West. But if we are going to overthrow him in a couple, don't do a half-@$$ed job.
That’s nobody’s business but the Turks.
Is Erdogan Sunni or Shia?
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