Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has refused to comment on former President Abdullah Gul’s decision not to run for the June 24 snap presidential elections, saying that the field of competition was “open to all.”
At the same time, Erdogan vowed that the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) would achieve a “sweeping historic victory” in the parliamentary elections that will be held on the same day of the presidential polls.
Meanwhile, Gul said he would not run for the upcoming elections, despite weeks of speculation that he would stand against Erdogan.
Erdogan said during a press conference at Istanbul’s Ataturk airport before leaving on a visit to Uzbekistan: “I will not comment on the statements of Mr. Abdullah Gul. He stated his position.”
“The field of elections is open to all, and we hope political parties will quickly declare their candidates.”
Meanwhile, sources in the Turkish opposition revealed that Erdogan had sent the head of the military to convince Gul not to stand in upcoming polls.
They said that the chief of general staff, Hulusi Akar, arrived at Gul’s office in Istanbul via a helicopter, in what was interpreted as an intimidation tactic against the former president and an implicit threat against the opposition.
The news of his visit was withdrawn one day after it was published in the Turkish daily Haberturk, and the editor of the newspaper’s website was sacked.
On a different note and for the first time in the history of Turkey’s elections, the Supreme Electoral Council would provide mobile ballot boxes for people with special needs to cast their votes in the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections. This service will allow the voters to ballot from their homes.
Relatives of the voter with a disability should fill in a special form and send it to the electoral committee for this purpose.
