Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the leader of Turkey's main opposition party, is stepping out of the shadow of President Tayyip Erdogan and positioning himself as a candidate for change in the upcoming May 14th elections. Kilicdaroglu is backed by an alliance of six opposition parties and is promising to roll back much of Erdogan's legacy, including returning to orthodox economic policies, independence for the judiciary, and smoother relations with the West.
Despite suffering repeated election defeats as the head of the Republican People's Party (CHP), Kilicdaroglu is now seen as holding an edge in the polls, with his inclusive campaign promising solutions to the cost-of-living crisis that has eroded Erdogan's popularity in recent years. Kilicdaroglu is pledging to cool inflation that hit 85% last year, but his turnaround plan is expected to bring financial market turmoil and potentially the latest in a series of currency crashes.
Kilicdaroglu is positioning himself as a statesman who can unify and reach out to those not voting for the opposition, in contrast to Erdogan's polarizing and divisive style of politics. However, detractors say he lacks his opponent's power to rally audiences and fails to offer a clear vision for a post-Erdogan era.
If Kilicdaroglu prevails, he will face challenges keeping the opposition alliance united, including nationalists, Islamists, secularists, and liberals. His selection as candidate came after a 72-hour dispute in which the leader of the second-biggest party, IYI's Meral Aksener, briefly walked out.
Kilicdaroglu worked in the finance ministry before entering politics and became an MP in 2002, representing the centre-left CHP. He rose to prominence as the CHP's anti-graft campaigner, appearing on TV to brandish dossiers that led to high-profile resignations. He was elected unopposed as party leader in 2010, but support for the CHP has since failed to surpass about 25%. Erdogan's AK party polled 43% in the last parliamentary elections of 2018.
Despite the challenges ahead, Kilicdaroglu is seen by some as having quietly reformed the CHP and promoted members more closely aligned with European social democratic values. He is an Alevi, a minority group that follows a faith drawing on Shi'ite Muslim, Sufi, and Anatolian folk traditions. Nicknamed "Gandhi Kemal" by Turkish media, Kilicdaroglu captured the public imagination in 2017 when he launched his 450 km "March for Justice" from Ankara to Istanbul over the arrest of a CHP deputy.
In the mainly Kurdish city of Van, thousands of people rallied for Kilicdaroglu last week, and he has received the endorsement of the big pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party, even though it is not in the main opposition alliance. The upcoming presidential and parliamentary vote is expected to be tight, and its outcome will decide not just who leads Turkey but also what role it may play to ease conflict in Ukraine and the Middle East.