Voters to make final decision in polls: Erdogan's aide

By Nilay Kar Onum

ANKARA

Turkish voters will make the final decision on June 24 early elections, not some media outlets or interest groups, Turkish presidential spokesman has said.

Writing for Istanbul-based Daily Sabah, Ibrahim Kalin said: “At any rate, it is the Turkish voters, not some media outlets or interest groups who will make the final decision on June 24 with their own free will and choice.”

Several political and economic issues are “at stake” in these elections that will introduce a new presidential system in Turkey, Kalin said.

The new system is different from the American system, he wrote. “It is closer to the French presidential system, but there will be no prime minister, so it is different from it as well.”

Kalin expressed his belief that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will win the early elections in the first round: “He is certain to win it in the first round.”

Given his long-standing popularity with the Turkish voters, Erdogan remains the most trusted political leader with a big portfolio of services and major sociopolitical changes over the last 16 years.”

Erdogan revived a moribund Turkish economy, increased Turkey's gross domestic product (GDP) more than three times, opened Turkey to world markets, established dozens of new universities and research centers, ended military tutelage and recognized the rights of Kurds, Alevis, Armenians and other groups in Turkish society that have been stigmatized and oppressed in the past, he wrote.

Kalin recalled the president stood against soft military and judicial coup attempts in 2007 and 2010, and averted the July 15, 2016 coup plot by FETO terrorists.

As the leader of a center-right political party, Erdogan seeks to “embrace all members of society rather than building a narrow base around ethnic, regional or ideological allegiances,” he noted.

“By contrast, his opponents run their campaigns with anti-Erdogan strategies by opposing everything he represents and rejecting everything he says to win.”

In his article, he blasted western media, which he wrote “mislead their readers by presenting a distorted picture of Turkey”.

Western media “fail at their assessments and predictions of Turkish elections. They push the mainstream currents including the broad-based popular support for Erdogan to the margin and present marginal voices as mainstream".

“In the upcoming days, I wonder how environmentally-conscious Western journalism will react to another election pledge by President Erdogan to set up 30 medium and five large-scale urban parks dubbed as "nation's gardens," he said.

Kalin recalled Erdogan’s promise to transform Istanbul's Ataturk Airport, which will become dormant after the opening of the new airport later this year, into a public park.

Calling it as “the biggest urban greenery project in Turkey's history,” he said: Most probably, the Western media will misinterpret and neglect this development and we will once again see a repeat of political activism masquerading as journalism over the next four weeks.

The presidential aide described the June 24 elections as “important to maintain Turkey's political stability, economic growth, and overall security -- all of which are important not just for Turkey, but also for the Middle East, Europe, and the United States”.

"Writing doomsday scenarios about the Turkish economy, glorifying PKK terrorists, sweetening the FETO Gulenists and giving airspace to baseless allegations by Erdogan's sworn enemies will not dissuade Turkish voters from voting for Erdogan on June 24," the presidential aide said.

“At any rate, it is the Turkish voters, not some media outlets or interest groups who will make the final decision on June 24 with their own free will and choice.”