„A tyrant who may not give up power … Western media: “Erdogan” is threatened with losing his rule“

A number of international and Western media outlets have shed the light on the Turkish parliamentary and presidential elections which will take place on May 14, 2023, amidst the existing consensus between most of them that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will enter these elections while possessing wide powers and amidst the indications towards his implementation of a major repression campaign with the aim of securing his victory in these elections that are described as significant for the country’s fate.
In various Western media outlets, there is almost an unanimity that these elections are the most threatening to Erdogan’s continuation in power by describing his reign period as a „tyranny“ and emphasizing that it occurs in light of strenuous economic continuation and also an unprecedented alliance between the Turkish opposition factions.
„BBC“: Erdogan possess overwhelming presidential powers
The British „BBC“ broadcasting website stated in a report that since the year 2017, Erdogan is ruling Türkiye with overwhelming presidential powers, from a spacious Palace in Ankara to being able as the chief executive to declare a state of emergency and select or dismiss civil servants.
„BBC“ further quoted Salim Koru, a member of the Turkish Tepav Research Center who stated that if Erdogan wins, not much will change, expounding that his powers are already indeed very broad, even to such an extent that he will not strive to further expand them. Additionally, it also seems that his statements carry a pinch of sarcasm for what the authorities in the grip of the Turkish president have reached to.
In fact, „BBC“ also indicates that Erdogan’s main rival, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, in exchange, wants to abolish the presidential system and return his country again to a presidential system, so he can evolve into a „neutral“ leader who has no affiliations with any political party, stressing that he will return Türkiye to the parliament as the prime minister will then possess all powers. He further seeks to revive the independent courts and a free press and also promised by saying: „I will serve all the 85 million citizens in Türkiye and I will also show my deepest respect for all of them“.
Moreover, „BBC“ mentioned that especially the Kurds consider these elections to be historical and decisive for the fate of the country as they are constituting one fifth of Türkiye’s overall population of 85 million people whereby at least 1 out of 10 voters supports the Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party, the second largest opposition party in the country after the Republican People’s Party. In addition, BBC also pointed out that the situation of the Kurds was improving in the first decade of Erdogan’s reign but has then deteriorated since 2015 after the failure of the peace talks which attempted to settle the conflict with the PKK.
However, contrary to what „BBC“ has stated that the failure of the talks were the reason for the decisive change of the situation for Türkiye’s Kurds, in fact, the real reason can be attributed to many analysis of the success of the Peoples’ Democratic Party in the 2015 elections as they managed to cross the threshold of the parliamentary elections and subsequently succeeded in entering the parliament as the first Kurdish party. This matter indeed then deprived the AKP of its voter majority at that time which is why Erdogan perceived this development as a great menace to his rule.
„CNN“: The May 14th elections could end Erdogan’s rule
The US Network „CNN“ said in an all-encompassing report that the parliamentary and presidential elections will be concomitant with unprecedented challenges for Turkish President Recep Tayyib Erdogan that could likely end his continuous rule since more than two decades. It was further added: „The voters will decided the fate of democracy in Türkiye after less than three months since the occurrence of the earthquake that happened on the 6th February and caused the death of more than 50 thousand people while rendering more than 5.9 million people in Southern Türkiye and Northern Syria homeless“.
Furthermore, „CNN“ indicated a very dangerous matter, which, pursuant to some analysts, includes that even if Kilicdaroglu wins the elections, Erdogan may not be surpassing the power to his successor without a conflict; this, indeed is an issue that many observers and analysts who fear for the fate of Türkiye after Erdogan, if he loses the elections, have agreed upon despite the fact that Erdogan had confirmed that he would be giving up his powers in case of not wining the elections.
CNN further emphasized that that during mayoral elections for the year 2019 in Istanbul and Ankara, the AKP had lost control of the country’s financial center and its capital, which prompted party officials from the two cities to refuse to acknowledge the results by indicating the existence of irregularities in the electoral process.
„CNN“ also referred to a report, issued in 2023 by Freedom House, which stated that the judges who supervise all voting procedures, are appointed by judicial bodies, controlled by the AKP. Furthermore, they often defer to the AKP in their decisions whereby the institution also emphasized the „institutional dominance“ of the AKP over the media outlets as well as other branches of society. „CNN“ further said that this matter renders the electoral field to be inclined towards Erdogan.

„Euro News“: Erdogan, a tyrant, tightens his grip on power
As for the Euro News Network, it was stated that „Erdogan“ who has reigned the country for more than two decades, was not exposed to any challenge by the opposition before the current situation, pointing out that he had tightened his grip on the power and led the country towards an increasingly authoritarian rule. Euro News further indicated that he lags behind Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the joint candidate of the united opposition, which has pledged to restore democracy, according to opinion polls.
Euro News further reported that the elections took place amidst a debilitated economic slowdown, high inflation and a calamitous earthquake in February whereby the elections on Sunday will constitute one of the most difficult electoral challenges for Erdogan so far, who had concentrated an enormous amount of power in his hands during his 20 years in office. Moreover, he is also witnessing a decline in his popularity amidst economic disturbances and an increased inflation for which he was blamed to have mismanaged the country.
Euro News also indicated the withdrawal of presidential candidate Muharram Ince after opinion polls have divulged a significant decline in his popularity due to the fact that he was facing harsh criticism for running as a candidate in the electoral race, accusing him of fragmenting the voice of the opposition in favor of „Erdogan“ as an indication of „Ince“ being the leader of the Republican People’s Party and running as a candidate in the last elections for the party against Erdogan in which he became the second one by achieving 30 percent of the electors’ votes before detaching from the Republican People’s Party.
„Le Monde“: Erdogan faces the most uncertain elections since 2022“
The French newspaper „Le Monde“ in turn stated in a report from last week that Turkish President Recep Tayyob Erdogan, who is 69 years old, is facing the most uncertain elections since he asserted power in the year 2022 as he is confronted with a unified opposition for the first time since twenty years in a country that is undergoing a crisis. Erdogan further faces his rival Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who is 74 years old and runs as the candidate of the coalition of six opposition parties, ranging from the nationalist rights to the democratic left, dominated by the democratic socialist People’s Republican Party (CHP) which was founded by contemporary Turkey’s founder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.
The French Newspaper additionally referred to an issue related to the monitoring of the Turkish elections as the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe recently denounced Türkiye’s refusal to accredit two deputies from Scandinavian countries, who were supposed to partake in the monitoring of the presidential elections. The assembly further expressed its disappointment with the respective measure which might have a negative impact on the intentional monitoring mission, stressing that the Turkish authorities should not influence the formation of the international mission that will monitor the elections, scheduled to take place on Sunday, May 14, 2023.
„Der Spiegel“: The attack on Imamoglu reflects the tense atmosphere of the elections
The German magazine „Der Spiegel“ additionally shed the light on the assault incident on Ekrem Imamoglu, the mayor of Istanbul while giving a speech in Erzurum during the support campaign for Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and subsequently being attacked with stones by supporters of the AKP who chased the bus that he was in.
The newspaper further stated that the assault incident on Ekrem Imamoglu highlights the tense situation in Türkiye before the first round of the presidential elections as Imamoglu supports opposition politician Kemal Kilicdaroglu in his election campaign, being aware of the fact that the mayor of Istanbul has the opportunity to become vice president if the opposition wins the elections during a time when opinion polls indicate the existence of a close race between Kilicdaroglu and Erdogan, who had ruled Türkiye for 20 years now.