The expectation of a change was felt in Turkey before the elections, but the results of the polls did not show this. According to international observers – including PS deputy Paulo Pisco, and PSD deputy Isabel Meirelles, with whom the DN spoke – the elections were clean, despite flaws in the system. Turning to the second round, on May 28, the pieces look well placed for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to win against Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who leads the alliance of six opposition parties.
“I notice that there are now somehow low expectations of a positive result from Kilicdaroglu,” said Paulo Pisco, who was in the Esmirna area, referring to the fact that the president had taken the lead in the first round and a majority in parliament. “I bet all my chips, with great regret and without any joy, on Erdogan,” affirmed Isabel Meirelles, who passed through the same region and in Ankara.
The Social Democratic deputy did not find any flaws in the voting, but admits that “when the polling stations are closed and the votes are counted, it is very easy to manipulate the elections”, because of the way the votes are handled. He also noted the presence of many plainclothes police officers near the polling stations in what could have been an attempt at intimidation, and also recalled that the president has “the state apparatus in his hand” and will do “anything to to be able to win in the second round”. yield”.
The Socialist deputy explained that the election had been conducted “correctly”, with no “episodes questioning the vote or the result”. But there were 36 polling stations where the 400 international observers could not do their job and ballots disappeared.
The existing problems are fundamental, said Paulo Pisco, and nothing is expected to change for the second round. “The conditions that constrained the opposition parties will continue. There will certainly continue to be a lack of freedom of the press,” he said, recalling that in the first round “media coverage of the opposition parties was highly discriminated”.
Isabel Meirelles gave the example that the opposition only had airtime on one of the more than two dozen television channels. Paulo Pisco stated that there is no freedom of the press as the media are “very conditioned by their obedience” to power.
The socialist deputy also believes that “a lack of resources will remain for the opposition parties”, in contrast to “Erdogan’s use and misuse of state resources”. For example, the Social Democratic deputy mentioned the number of posters with the president’s face “post yes, post yes”, in Ankara. “Just the thought of how much that costs scares me,” he said.
Paulo Pisco also said that “pressure will continue regarding the campaigns”, with reports that security forces prevented the passage of caravans or halted opposition initiatives. However, he believes that it is not in Erdogan’s interest for there to be too much tension. “There is no interest in putting Kilicdaroglu as a victim,” the deputy sheriff said.
Source: DN
