Turkey Elections: Who Is Kemal Kilicdaroglu? Strongest Challenger To Erdogan Propped Up By 6-Party Opposition

Although there are four candidates running for the top post, political experts are of the opinion that final battle will boil down to Recep Tayyip Erdogan and opposition candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is set to lay his two-decade rule on the line as he gears up to face his biggest contender and the joint opposition candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu in the May 14 Turkey elections. Turkey, which is grappling with the twin challenges of a sky-high inflation and the aftermath of the devastating February earthquakes, will see a close contest between the incumbent president and Kilicdaroglu, the leader of main opposition People’s Republican Party (CHP) and the joint candidate of the six-party National Alliance.

Although there are four candidates running for the top post, political experts are of the opinion that the final presidential battle will boil down to Erdogan and Kilicdaroglu. The other two candidates are 58-year-old former physics teacher Muharrem Ince and Sinan Ogan, who is being backed by ATA Alliance.  

Who Is Kemal Kilicdaroglu?

This 74-year-old leader of the People’s Republican Party (CHP) is the joint opposition candidate for the presidential elections. The secularist six-party National Alliance, which is also called the “Table of Six”, is an awkward coalition of six parties from the Left, Centre and Right wings of Turkish politics. However, they have unitedly put forward a single candidate to take on President Erdogan.

Kilicdaroglu used to work in the finance ministry in the 1990s, and was once named the "Bureaucrat of the Year" before he became a member of Parliament in 2002.

Moreover, the contrasts between Kilicdaroglu and Erdogan are clear, with the former leading Turkey’s main secular opposition party, Republican People's Party, and Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party, or AKP, having Islamic roots.

“Kilicdaroglu, who is not known for his charismatic or exciting personality but is a dogged worker, if you will, promises to Turkey a calmer future and promises to eradicate corruption and also to seek accountability,” NPR quoted a political expert as saying. Also, from the international point of view, analysts are of the opinion that the United States and European countries would likely find Kilicdaroglu an easier partner to deal with than Erdogan.

How Did Kilicdaroglu Get Into Turkish Politics?

Kemal Kilicdaroglu became an MP as a CHP deputy from Istanbul in 2002. He was re-elected in 2007, following which he served as deputy speaker of CHP’s parliamentary group under Deniz Baykal, the party leader at that time.

After Baykal resigned, Kilicdaroglu stood unopposed in the CHP convention in 2010 and went on to lead the party.

Not Someone With Ambitions: Kemal Kilicdaroglu

The soft-spoken joint opposition challenger stands in striking contrast to confident and bombastic orator Erdogan. According to reports, Kilicdaroglu was seen ignoring the personal attacks by Erdogan in the poll campaigns, and instead, highlighting the issues ailing the nation for years.

“I'm not someone with ambitions. My dream is to restore democracy and then sit in a corner, playing with my grandchildren,” news agency AP quoted Kilicdaroglu as saying ahead of the elections.

War Of Words With President Erdogan

Occasionally, Kilicdaroglu has launched blistering attacks on the incumbent president. According to a report by NPR, in a public address last year, he dared Erdogan to debate him, and referred to Kasimpasa, an Istanbul neighbourhood where Erdogan grew up.

“I say if you are a bully from Kasimpasa, you come and face me. But no, he wouldn't come, he wouldn't have the courage. I know this well,” National Public Radio quoted the CHP leader as saying.

However, Erdogan responded to his attack by terming him “unfit” to lead the country. “Mr. Kemal, you can't even lead a sheep, you can't,” National Public Radio quoted the president as saying at a campaign event.

Strongest Opposition Candidate In Years

The secularist six-party National Alliance, that disagrees on several issues, has unitedly fielded a single candidate to dash the hopes of President Erdogan of extending his term to a third decade. 

“One major failure why the opposition was unable to unseat Erdogan in the past related to its failure to act as a united opposition. This time around, the opposition has been able to set up a large coalition that includes six political parties,” a report by NPR quoted a political expert as saying.

Although Kilicdaroglu was never considered the opposition’s natural leader, he is expected to garner the major chunk of the Kurdish votes, one of the decisive factors that could help him stake claim to the presidential chair.

At a time when sky-high inflation and a deepening cost of living crisis have put a dent in Erdogan’s popularity, Kilicdaroglu has promised a return to orthodox economic policies and restore Turkey's former parliamentary form of government. 

Although the joint opposition contender has the strongest chance to unseat the president, according to some recent opinion polls, both Erdogan and Kilicdaroglu are headed for a neck and neck contest, with neither winning more than 50% votes, that could lead to a second round of voting later this month.