Kemal Kilicdaroglu has promised a liberal awakening for Turkey. But how credible is he? And how fair will Sunday’s election be?
by Gregory Scheu
Actually, the message from the challenger Kemal Kilicdaroglu was tolerance and openness. Just a few weeks ago, the Turkish presidential candidate addressed the Turkish public in a viral video on Twitter. In a grandfatherly manner and with calm words, he openly addressed his Alevi faith: breaking a taboo in Turkish society, which is dominated by Sunni Islam. The video has been clicked more than 100 million times on Twitter. His Address to Young Turks. “Let’s make Turkey a country where identities, differences and exclusion are no longer an issue.”