A little-known nationalist who helped force a runoff election in Turkey stated on Tuesday that he could support either President Recep Tayyip Erdogan or his secular opponent.
Last-minute candidate Sinan Ogan, 55, received 5.2% of the vote in Sunday’s historic election, helping to deny Erdogan a first-round victory for the first time in his 20-year rule. Erdogan received 49.5% of the vote, while Kilicdaroglu received 44.9%, a disappointing result given that polls indicated the opposition leader would prevail.
Ogan stated that he expected to perform even better and expressed his desire to be elected president one day.
“I expected even more — around 10 to 11 percent of the vote,” said Ogan, an independent candidate. He was open to talk but may take a few days to decide who to support. “A decision will be reached following discussions with both Mr. Erdogan and Mr.
We can state that we do not support either candidate. A Turkish official stated that Erdogan’s party will shortly state the possibility of talks with Ogan.
‘No capacity for resentment’
Ogan, who speaks English and attended a prestigious university in Moscow, stated that his supporters include “Turkish nationalists as well as young people who find us more intellectual and are tired of the old faces in politics.
Matt Gertken, the chief political strategist at BCA Research, opined that Ogan primarily stole votes from Erdogan. Whose constituency consists of nationalists and religious conservatives.
“Erdogan will not necessarily win the majority of Ogan’s votes in the second round. But he needs only one-fifth of those votes to win the presidency,” Gertken said.
Ogan entered the legislature in 2011 as a member of the ultranationalist MHP party.
After criticizing the MHP’s dismal performance in the 2015 elections, he fell out with the party’s leadership.
After winning a court case, Ogan was reinstated to the party after being expelled.
Two years later, he was expelled a second time for opposing a referendum in 2017 that expanded Erdogan’s presidential powers.
Refrain from ‘terrorism’
After a fourth contender, nationalist Muharrem Ince, resigned four days before the election, Ogan was forced to withdraw.
When asked if he was willing to reconcile with Erdogan following a dispute with his coalition allies, Ogan responded, “There is no room for resentment if you aspire to rule the state.” Ogan stated that anyone he endorses must firmly renounce “terrorism” — the term Turkish politicians use to refer to outlawed Kurdish fighters fighting for greater autonomy.
