Turkey: Erdoğan brings presidential election forward
Turkey's President Erdoğan has announced that the country's presidential and parliamentary elections, originally planned for June, will be brought forward to 14 May. Erdoğan ruled the country as prime minister from 2003 to 2014 and afterwards became the most powerful man in the state as its president. Whether his running for office again is in conformity with the constitution is a matter of debate. According to polls, a six-party opposition alliance also has a chance of winning the elections.
No hope of real change
Even if the opposition wins Greece will still have to watch out for Turkey, Kathimerini fears:
“As things stand, May 14 is of decisive importance both for Turkey and our own country. We should not, however, harbor any illusions that Turkey's expansionist policy will change if Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is defeated after 20 years of omnipotence. The very aggressive rhetoric of the Turkish president's divided opponents and their deepest convictions do not allow them.”
The opposition is still weak
Yetkin Report looks at why Erdoğan's electoral alliance has been catching up in the polls:
“In recent months the opposition 'Table for Six' has conveyed the impression that it had difficulty coordinating its members, couldn't shelve its internal power struggles, and was wasting the energy it would need to win the election on infighting and nominating a candidate. As a result, it has not been able to present itself as a united, clear and attractive alternative that can compete with the government. ... While the government offered pragmatic benefits such as minimum wage hikes, tax amnesty, cheap loans and early retirement to win over undecided voters, the opposition's promises have remained scattered and vague.”