Turkish President Erdoğan is trailing in polls ahead of Sunday’s election, and has made a number of promises in an attempt to close the gap, including free natural gas and claims that the country has struck oil.
As Turkey prepares to go to the polls on Sunday, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is desperately trying to win votes. In the weeks leading up to the election, he has made a number of promises, including free natural gas, a 45% raise for public sector workers, and even the discovery of oil. He has also invited citizens to tour a new warship, in an attempt to show off Turkey’s military might.
President Erdoğan’s opponents have accused him of trying to buy votes with these promises. They argue that he is desperate to stay in power, and that he is willing to do whatever it takes to win.
Only time will tell whether Erdoğan’s efforts will be enough to win the election. However, it is clear that he is feeling the pressure, and he is willing to do whatever it takes to stay in power.
As Turkey prepares to go to the polls on Sunday, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is desperately attempting to win votes. In the weeks leading up to the election, he has made a number of promises, including free natural gas, a 45% raise for public sector workers, and even the discovery of oil. He has also invited citizens to tour a new warship, in an attempt to show off Turkey’s military might.
Erdoğan’s opponents have accused him of trying to buy votes with these promises. They argue that he is desperate to stay in power, and that he is willing to do whatever it takes to win.
Erdoğan’s propaganda machine has also been working overtime in the run-up to the election. State-run media has been lavishing praise on Erdoğan, while negative coverage of his opponents has been censored. Erdoğan has also been using social media to spread his message, and he has even been accused of using bots and trolls to manipulate public opinion.
It is clear that Erdoğan is feeling the pressure, and he is willing to do whatever it takes to win the election. However, it is also clear that his opponents are not going to give up without a fight. The upcoming election is shaping up to be a close one, and it will be interesting to see who comes out on top.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has abandoned his promise of a quiet election campaign after polls showed him trailing his main rival, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu.
In the aftermath of a deadly earthquake that killed more than 50,000 people in Turkey three months ago, Erdoğan had pledged to run a low-key campaign focused on rebuilding the country. However, he has since changed course, launching a series of rallies and making a number of controversial statements.
Erdoğan’s opponents have accused him of trying to distract voters from the country’s problems. They have also pointed out that his rhetoric has become increasingly divisive in recent weeks.
It remains to be seen whether Erdoğan’s change in tactics will be enough to win him the election. However, it is clear that he is feeling the pressure, and he is willing to do whatever it takes to stay in power.
In a desperate attempt to win votes, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan broadcast an alleged deepfake video at a mass rally in Istanbul last weekend. The video showed a group of banned Kurdish militants expressing their support for his competitor, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. Erdoğan, who regularly portrays both the Kurds and Kılıçdaroğlu as enemies of the state, told the assembled crowd that the video was “very important.”
The video has been widely condemned by experts, who say it is clear that it is a deepfake. Deepfakes are videos or audio recordings that have been manipulated to make it appear as if someone is saying or doing something they never did. They are often used to spread misinformation or to damage someone’s reputation.
Erdoğan’s use of a deepfake is a sign of his desperation. He is trailing in the polls and he knows that he needs to do something to win votes. However, his use of a deepfake is also a sign of his disregard for the truth. He is willing to spread misinformation and to damage someone’s reputation in order to win.
The upcoming election is shaping up to be a close one. It is important for voters to be aware of the misinformation that is being spread and to make their decisions based on the facts.
Turkey’s opposition, led by Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, is campaigning on a promise of change after 20 years of rule by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Kılıçdaroğlu has pledged to overhaul Erdoğan’s policies, including a return to parliamentary democracy.
The opposition’s proposals for change are a reaction to Erdoğan’s rule, which has been characterized by increasing authoritarianism and a drift away from secularism. “No one really knows what a post-Erdoğan Turkey would look like in reality,” said James Ryan of the US thinktank the Foreign Policy Research Institute.
Erdoğan, for his part, is campaigning on a platform of stability and economic growth. He has promised to rebuild the country after the recent earthquakes, and he has also pledged to continue his fight against terrorism.
The upcoming election is shaping up to be a close one. It is unclear which side will win, but it is clear that Turkey is at a crossroads. The country is facing a number of challenges, including an economic crisis, a refugee crisis, and a political crisis. The outcome of the election will have a major impact on Turkey’s future.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has promised to rebuild the country’s earthquake zone, after two devastating earthquakes killed more than 50,000 people in January. Erdoğan said that the government would build 319,000 homes within the first year, and 650,000 in total.
Construction and infrastructure have formed the backbone of Erdoğan’s two decades in power. He has overseen the construction of new roads, airports, and buildings across the country. However, his government has also been accused of widespread corruption in the construction industry.
It remains to be seen whether Erdoğan will be able to rebuild the earthquake zone without further corruption. However, his promise to do so is a sign that he is aware of the challenges facing the country.
For some of the millions of people displaced by the recent earthquakes in Turkey, the government’s promises of fast solutions have meant little.
Elise Aslan, who was displaced from her home in the southernmost province of Hatay, grew frustrated with officials from Turkey’s disaster relief agency, AFAD, when they tried to outline her payment options for government housing. “This isn’t going to be done within a year,” she told them.
The officials tried to reassure her. “In a short time, hopefully everything will be OK,” they said.
But Aslan is not convinced. She is one of millions of people who have been left homeless by the earthquakes, and she is worried about how she will rebuild her life.
“I don’t know how I’m going to pay for a new home,” she said. “I don’t know where I’m going to live. I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
Aslan’s story is just one example of the challenges facing Turkey in the wake of the earthquakes. The country is facing a humanitarian crisis, and it is unclear how the government will be able to meet the needs of the millions of people who have been affected.
For observers, Erdoğan’s promises of swift reconstruction form the core of efforts to shift public attention away from the devastating earthquakes, as well as any lingering questions about his government’s lacklustre response in a crisis.
But for many survivors, these promises ring hollow. They have seen the government’s response to the crisis firsthand, and they are not convinced that it is capable of delivering on its promises.
The next few months will be critical for Turkey. The government will need to show that it is capable of meeting the needs of the millions of people who have been affected by the earthquakes. If it fails to do so, the crisis could have a lasting impact on the country.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been accused of using his control of the media to change the narrative and win votes.
Analyst Soner Cagaptay of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy said that Erdoğan can curate the news to create a post-truth reality, build news based on lies so people forget they were lies to begin with.
“It’s very scary – if Erdoğan wins, it will be the first victory globally for post-truth politics, an election completely won on lies,” he said.
Analysis by Turkey’s broadcast watchdog found that the president was afforded more than 32 hours of coverage on one state channel, while his competitor had just 32 minutes.
Turkish fact-checking organisation Teyit said it had identified misinformation circulated by both Erdoğan and the opposition, including cheap replicas of deepfake videos they labelled “cheapfakes”.
“During this election cycle, we encountered nearly 150 examples of false information, ranging from television broadcasts and misinformation on social media to politicians’ own statements,” said Can Semercioğlu of Teyit.
In a deeply polarised country, Erdoğan’s control of the media and his promises that he can fix anything broken during his rule have found willing ears, including claims that only he is capable of remedying an economic crisis caused by his unorthodox policies.
“So far there has been nothing that our state has been unable to solve or accomplish,” said 33-year-old Yunus Özbaysal, speaking while out campaigning for the AKP in Istanbul.
He added: “Our leader has kept every promise he made. We are certain that he will keep his economic promises, too.”
Erdoğan’s critics say that his control of the media is a threat to democracy and that he is using it to spread misinformation and propaganda. They say that this is a dangerous trend that could have a negative impact on Turkey’s future.
It remains to be seen whether Erdoğan will be able to win the election, but his control of the media is certainly a major advantage. If he does win, it will be a sign that his supporters are willing to overlook his authoritarian tendencies.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN AND NEWS AGENCIES
