Turkey: In final elections stretch, Istanbul gears up for mega-rallies

ISTANBUL — President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his top rival, main opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu, are set to make a final push for voters at dueling rallies in what will be one of the most symbolic rallies of the campaign.

Presidential candidate and Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kilicdaroglu and Erdogan are set to hold rival mass rallies in Istanbul, the country’s largest metropolis and financial capital, on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

In major grandstanding, all five opposition party leaders within the main opposition-led six-party bloc as well as the CHP’s popular Istanbul and Ankara mayors will join Kilicdaroglu at his rally, the main opposition’s press office confirmed to Al-Monitor Friday. The six-party bloc previously announced that the leaders within the alliance and two mayors would serve as vice presidents should Kilicdaroglu win. 

In his rally just a week before the May 14 vote, Erdogan, in turn, will appear before his supporters at a symbolic venue, Istanbul’s now-defunct Ataturk International Airport, according to a statement by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Istanbul branch. The arena last week hosted TEKNOFEST, an aviation, space and technology festival organized by Baykar, the company producing Turkey’s famed Bayraktar drones, which is owned by the family of Erdogan’s younger son-in-law. Defense projects have been one of the dominating themes of Erdogan’s polarizing campaign. While accusing his rivals of being collaborators with outlaw groups and mysterious dark international powers, Erdogan tries to portray himself as the champion of the country’s indigenous defense projects. Earlier this week, Erdogan changed his profile picture on his social media accounts to a picture of him in a pilot’s jacket.

Speaking at a rally in Turkey’s predominantly Kurdish eastern province of Van on Friday, Erdogan reiterated his attacks on the opposition, saying, “We build aircrafts, we build helicopters, we carry out several high-tech projects. ‘Why bother?’ they say.”

Kilicdaroglu and his top brass, whose election strategy relies on countering polarization through uniting messages, in turn have been underlining the country’s economic woes and breakneck inflation that government critics blame on Erdogan’s unconventional economic policies. 

Speaking at a rally in the Mediterranean province of Mersin, Kilicdaroglu pledged to embrace all identities, faiths and lifestyles. “They polarized us profusely. Neighbors began to question each other’s identities. They began to question each other’s faith. Each of us has begun to fly into a rage. We have to leave this behind,” he said.

Both leaders are expected to gather large crowds with only days to go until the country’s fateful parliamentary and presidential elections, which will determine whether Erdogan extends his authoritarian rule into a new term. 

Berk Esen, an assistant professor of political science at Istanbul’s Sabanci University, said Istanbul plays a highly symbolic role for both sides.

“President Erdogan’s political career actually climbed swiftly after he became Istanbul mayor in 1994. And he has never taken his eyes off Istanbul during his terms as prime minister and president,” Esen told Al-Monitor, adding that until 2019, the metropolis was the stronghold of the Islamist parties that the ruling AKP also hails from.

Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu’s victory in the 2019 local elections turned the metropolis of more than 15 million into a symbol of crossing a psychological threshold by upsetting the AKP’s aura of invincibility.

“This was the biggest electoral defeat the government suffered since 2002, and it was a watershed moment. … Therefore, Istanbul bears a highly symbolic significance for the opposition as well,” Esen said.

As polls give only a single-digit lead to Kilicdaroglu against the incumbent and with the country facing its most closely fought election in years, the last week will be crucial for both camps. 

“From now on, they will be on full display by all means, and everyone’s sights will be set on the Istanbul rallies,” Esen concluded.