Opposition chooses 'Turkey's Gandhi' Kemal Kilicdaroglu to fight Erdogan in election

The fractious and divided opposition parties of Turkey finally came together on Monday and selected Kemal Kilicdaroglu as their candidate for fighting the upcoming presidential election in May against incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Kilicdaroglu is the leader of the Republican People's Party (CHP), the main secular opposition party. According to the polls, the country is set to witness a tight race amid polarisation after Erdogan's authoritarian rule of two decades.

The country's economic crisis and the errors of the government during the massive earthquakes in February, are likely to make Erdogan more vulnerable compared to the previous elections.

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Kilicdaroglu, a bookish former civil servant, was cheered on by a huge crowd of supporters after the six-party opposition alliance chose him as the presidential candidate.

Known as "Gandhi Kemal" or "Turkey's Gandhi" for his stark resemblance to Indian civil rights leader Mahatma Gandhi, Kilicdaroglu gives a different vision in both style and substance compared to thatof fiery Erdogan.

However, some of the allies fear that the 74-year-old and soft-spoken Kilicdaroglu lacks crowd-pulling power. He assured his supporters that he would govern the country through consultation and consensus.

"Our table is the table of peace. Our only goal is to take the country to days of prosperity, peace and joy,” he said. He added that Turkey would again have a parliamentary system under his reign, which was changed by Erdogan to a presidential system in 2018.

Turkey's pro-Kurdish HDP co-leader Mithat Sancar said that the party would support Kilicdaroglu after "clear and open" talks.

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"Our clear expectation is a transition for a strong democracy. If we can agree on fundamental principles, we may support him in presidential elections," Sancar said.

Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey, created the CHP which is the oldest political party in the country. Kilicdaroglu, however, has broadened the party's appeal by accepting minority groups and has joined alliances with right-wing parties.

(With inputs from agencies)

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