Kılıçdaroğlu: Beating Erdoğan is the easiest part, aim is building competitive country

Duvar English

Turkey’s main opposition Nation Alliance’s presidential candidate and Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu said on March 20 that beating President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the election is the easiest part, but they mainly focus on restoring the country.

Once again speaking from the kitchen of his house, Kılıçdaroğlu said the government is making women rights a matter of bargaining for a few votes, referring to the meetings with Islamist New Welfare Party and HÜDA PAR (Free Cause Party).

Kılıçdaroğlu said he has been trying to unite the country to not only beat President Erdoğan in the election.

“Are we uniting against Tayyip Erdoğan? Are we going to spend so much effort on such a small goal? Our democracy, economy, justice system and freedoms are under heavy Erdoğan threat. However, the legacy I will leave to this country at my age should not be that small. We will send Erdoğan. This is the easiest of our goals, but our main goal is much bigger. We will create the conditions that will build a competitive Turkey,” Kılıçdaroğlu said.

“We are not competing with the world. These problems did not start with Erdoğan (in Turkey). However, they have been deepened with Erdoğan. Because for years, Turkey has spent its energy on internal problems. We saw coups, economic crises, polarizations, discrimination, gangs, terror,” Kılıçdaroğlu added.

He said the main issue that should unite Turkey should be the aim to compete with the world. “Turks, Kurds, Sunnis, Alevis, those who wear headscarves and those who do not, left and right should unite in this cause. For this, I was selected as the candidate of the Nation Alliance.”

Kılıçdaroğlu said he will retire to spend time with his grandchildren after restoring the country. “I am the person who will be the restorative, unifying, embracing leader. I am the person who will lay the right stones for the political future. As the Nation Alliance, we will restore the state. We will give people back the joy of life. We will remove disadvantaged groups from being disadvantaged. We will bring financial and democratic stability. In short, we will put our country on track. So that the leaders after us will have a healthy ground on which they can walk safely. And then I will retire to take care of my grandchildren. It's that simple. Only a leader who does not have individual political ambitions for the future can do this. Together we will win, my dear citizens.”

In the video he shared, Kılıçdaroğlu was seen wearing a bracelet for Martenitsa, a common Balkan tradition. The person wears an adornment to make a wish and keeps it until they see a stork in March. 

The main opposition bloc Nation Alliance consists of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), Good (İYİ) Party, Felicity (Saadet) Party, Democrat Party, Democracy and Progress (DEVA) Party, and Future Party. The six leaders of the alliance announced Kılıçdaroğlu as their presidential candidate for the upcoming election which is set for the date of May 14.

Other five leaders will be vice presidents should Kılıçdaroğlu assume power, as well as CHP Mayors Ekrem İmamoğlu and Mansur Yavaş.