At 74, Kemal Kiliçdaroglu sometimes looks like Joe Biden. Like the oldest US president in history, the Turkish politician is often airheaded and has an involuntary taste for gaffes. In the middle of the presidential campaign, this year, his own press service published a photo where the candidate, all smiles, was standing on a prayer mat… with his shoes on! A real blasphemy. In an increasingly conservative and religious Turkey, Kiliçdaroglu had the faithful screaming, well agitated by the pro-Erdogan media.
A face of appeasement for a Türkiye under tension
The leader, since 2010, of the Republican People’s Party – the CHP, the historic party of Mustafa Kemal, now center left – appears to be the most perfect antithesis of Erdogan: he sounds as boring as the president wants to be charismatic ; as “clean” as Erdogan finds himself entangled in scandals; as consensual as stay aggressive… “The opposition has chosen to play for unity and to bet on a message of cohesion for these elections, analyzes Karabekir Akkoyunlu, specialist in Turkey at the School of Oriental and African Studies, in London. This recipe has already succeeded in the 2019 municipal elections, simply because a large part of the Turks is tired of the fear, hatred and division sown in recent years.”
The differences between the two men do not end there. Kiliçdaroglu embodies democracy and its flaws: he was chosen as a candidate by six parties, ranging from the left to the nationalist right, on a common program so broad that it can be summed up in three words: “everything except Erdogan”. Other personalities were much more popular than this smooth senior official, such as the mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, or that of Ankara, Mansur Yavas. But Kiliçdaroglu was the only one not to frighten certain sections of the Turkish electorate or not to find himself under the influence of a trial. Enough to confront the Erdogan machine.
Alevi “and sincere Muslim”
In the campaign, the leader of the CHP proves to be more skilful than his legendary blunders left him fearful. On April 19, in a video, Kiliçdaroglu recounts his faith and his origins, often targeted by ultranationalists close to Erdogan. The septuagenarian is Alevi, a branch of Shiite Islam long considered heretical by the Sunni majority in Turkey. In the turbulent history of the region, the Alevis have been victims of religious massacres. Kiliçdaroglu, whose ancestors were killed by Turkish troops in Tunceli in 1938, assumes and reassures: “I am Alevi, I am a sincere Muslim.”
Sign of its success, the video has been viewed more than 100 million times in forty-eight hours. “With this very positive message, he managed excellent communication, underlines Karabekir Akkoyunlu. The Turks perceive him as someone hardworking and honest. He hopes that this election will not be played on his religious identity, but on campaign promises , on background and on transparency.”
In short, that the Turks will choose the path of appeasement and wisdom. Like Americans with veteran Biden in 2020.