Erdogan rival pledges to repatriate all refugees before Turkey runoff
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Loading... - Melissa Ajello
- 18 May 2023
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Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the opposition candidate challenging Tayyip Erdogan in Turkey's presidential race, adopted a stronger stance on migrants on Thursday. He pledged to repatriate all migrants to their respective countries if elected in the upcoming May 28 runoff vote. Kilicdaroglu, representing a six-party opposition alliance, secured 45% of the support in the initial vote, narrowly trailing Erdogan who received 49.5%. Although Kilicdaroglu fell short of the majority required to avoid a runoff, his recent remarks coincided with expectations of a third candidate's decision for the second round. Sinan Ogan, a nationalist politician backed by an anti-refugee party, obtained 5.2% of the vote, giving him influence as a kingmaker in the runoff.
Speaking to members of his Republican People's Party (CHP) at their headquarters, Kilicdaroglu maintained a defiant stance against Erdogan's migration policies. Accusing Erdogan of deliberately allowing 10 million refugees into Turkey, Kilicdaroglu also claimed that Turkish citizenship was being sold in exchange for imported votes, although he did not provide evidence to support his allegations. Official figures state that Turkey currently hosts approximately 4 million refugees, making it the country with the largest refugee population worldwide.
During his election campaign, Kilicdaroglu had previously stated plans to repatriate Syrians in Turkey within two years. This would be achieved by negotiating with Syrian President Bashar al Assad for their safety and coordinating with the United Nations.
