The Republican People's Party clings to hope and promises its supporters success in the next round.

Ahmed Yanar

The head of the Supreme Electoral Board in Turkey, Ahmed Yanar, officially announced the country's heading for a second round of presidential elections, which will be held on Sunday, May 28, 2023, and will be limited to the two candidates who received the most votes: the current President and People's Alliance candidate, Ragap Tayyip Erdogan, and the leader of the Republican People's Party and Nation Alliance candidate, Kemal Kilicdaroglu.

In a new tweet today on his Twitter account, the leader of the Republican People's Party and presidential candidate, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, addressed his supporters, saying, "Dear ones, we have been working non-stop since yesterday. Do not despair. I will stand straight. I will tell you my clear observations about what is happening. Then we will stand and run these elections together. In the end, only our nation will decide."

In the same context, the party's official for Istanbul, Janan Kaftancioglu, issued a statement on her Twitter account, indicating that Istanbul will do its utmost in the second round. "We will try to win the hearts and votes of our citizens. They will have the final say. I believe that we will succeed in..."

uploads/files/mebusiness.ae_1684161751_1.jpeg

Also, the Deputy Chairman of the Republican People's Party, Oğuz Kaan Salıcı, through his Twitter account, said, "If not today, then tomorrow we will continue to inspire hope and affirm our struggle for the change we will bring to our people. We will take power. The palace has already lost... Those who want change will win on May 28. We will do our best. Hope and love prevail throughout Turkey. We will succeed and triumph."

Loss of trust in the media is the headline

As part of the evaluations of what happened on Sunday, the German Douish Vella network broadcast a number of comments on Monday, including those of the Turkish investigator, Jülen Kavuk, who pointed out that people are more susceptible to misinformation in highly charged environments like elections. He said, "This polarization greatly affects the elections due to the misleading information. It's really important to understand the dynamics and prevailing climate in the Turkish media system. Citizens, in fact, do not trust their media much. They consume and get news from social media platforms."

In turn, Ozgur Unluhisarcikli, director of the Ankara office, agreed with his colleague Kavuk's suggestion, saying that while the Turkish media is largely seen as an extension of Erdogan's government, the majority of people do not rely on media controlled by the President and his allies. He added, "I would like to say that President Erdogan and his competitor, Kilicdaroglu, largely have equal opportunities to reach the media," which has not been achieved. The election result shows a "completely polarized" state, and according to Sinem Adar, a researcher at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, Erdogan has lost some of his gains due to his political alliance's approach to "cultural and national militarism," which has struggled to work in his favor.