Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan added a fringe social democrat party to his electoral alliance, the latest coalition-building maneuver ahead of a tight election in which every vote will count.
(Bloomberg) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan added a fringe social democrat party to his electoral alliance, the latest coalition-building maneuver ahead of a tight election in which every vote will count.
Once a major political force founded by four-time prime minister Bulent Ecevit, the Democratic Left Party was almost wiped out at elections after the 2001 financial crisis. Since then it’s been a minor group and its support isn’t being measured in most polls, but its inclusion in the ruling alliance underlines the scramble for support as the president and his opponents prepare for the May 14 vote.
“We’ve established our opinion to support President Erdogan,” said Onder Aksakal, chairman of the party known as DSP, after meeting with executives of Erdogan’s AK Party in Ankara on Friday. The decision reflects the party’s position “against actors of a global system that want to destroy the Turkish state,” he said.
In return, an unspecified number of DSP politicians will run for parliament on the AK Party’s list, Aksakal added.
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