Kemal Kilicdaroglu, a rival to Turkish President Erdogan in the upcoming election, accused Russia of interfering to discredit the opposition.
“Dear Russian friends, you are behind the staged videos, conspiracy theories, and fake content that has been exposed in this country,” Kilicdaroglu, a candidate for the CHP party, tweeted on May 11. “If you want our friendship to last beyond May 15, don’t interfere with the Turkish state.”
The allegations came after candidate Muharrem Ince withdrew from the race. Ince said his decision was related to being targeted in a “slanderous” campaign on social media with doctored images of him meeting women and driving luxury cars.
With Ince's withdrawal, the race for Türkiye's presidency now has three candidates, including incumbent leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan of the AKP, Kilicdaroglu, and Sinan Ogan of the Victory Party.
Kilicdaroglu said his party had evidence that Russia was responsible for spreading fake content online.
CHP candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu campaigns in Ankara on May 12. Photo: AFP
The Kremlin has dismissed Kilicdaroglu's accusations. "Stop with the allegations of election interference. If someone is providing Kilicdaroglu with such information, they are liars," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, stressing that Moscow "highly values" bilateral relations with Ankara. "Turkey maintains a very responsible, opinionated and thoughtful position on a range of regional and global issues that we face."
Turkish President Erdogan also spoke out in defense of Russia and President Vladimir Putin.
"Kemal Kilicdaroglu is attacking Russia and President Putin. I will not be happy with him attacking Putin," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said during a televised election rally on May 12. "Our relationship with Russia is no less important than our relationship with the United States."
During his campaign rallies, Mr Erdogan played videos giving the impression that Kilicdaroglu appeared to have links to members of the Kurdish militia, which Türkiye and its allies consider “terrorists”.
Türkiye holds a general election on May 14. The candidate who receives more than 50% of the vote in the first round will become president. If no candidate receives a majority of the vote, the election will go to a second round with the two candidates with the most support in the first round.
Türkiye maintains contacts with both Russia and Ukraine, while Erdogan has a good relationship with Putin. Since the outbreak of hostilities, Ankara has condemned Moscow’s use of force but has refused to sanction it. At the same time, Ankara has supplied Kiev with weapons and combat drones, including the Bayraktar. Türkiye is also part of a UN-brokered deal to allow grain exports from Ukrainian ports.
Huyen Le (According to Al Jazeera , AFP )
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