Anti-refugee leader exposes secret election deal with CHP leader
Ümit Özdağ, the leader of the anti-refugee Victory (Zafer) Party, has disclosed a protocol signed with the CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu ahead of the second round of the presidential election on May 28.
Kılıçdaroğlu, the primary contender against President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the election, brokered a deal with Özdağ to outpace him in the runoff vote, a strategy that ultimately fell short of success.
Revealing the details of the protocol on social media today, Özdağ claimed that the six-party bloc behind Kılıçdaroğlu, also known as the “Table of Six,” had rejected “any form of negotiation” with his party before the first round of the election. However, after Kılıçdaroğlu lagged behind Erdoğan in the first round, he accepted Özdağ’s terms, he noted.
Kılıçdaroğlu draws ire from allies after admitting secret deal with anti-refugee leader before elections
The detailed provisions of the protocol shared by Özdağ include the allocation of three minitries to the Victory Party, with one being the Interior Ministry. Also, appointments in the security, justice, and economic bureaucracies under the influence of the Victory Party.
The agreement also stresses the repatriation of refugees and migrants within one year and a “resolute fight against various terrorist organizations.”
The provisions about refugees and “terrorism” were made public when the deal was signed whereas Kılıçdaroğlu’s promise to hand over ministries and bureaucratic positions to the Victory Party have been kept confidential until today.
Aşağıda üzerinde çok konuşulan ancak ilk kez yayınlanan Zafer Partisi-CHP Protokolünün tamamının fotoğrafını göreceksiniz. Bu protokolu eleştiren 6’lı masa birleşenlerine ve CHP içinden protokola karşı çıkanlara cevap veriyorum. 14 Mayıs’ta yapılan seçimlerin 1. Turunu hem… pic.twitter.com/eqqMcnWWhD
— Ümit Özdağ (@umitozdag) November 23, 2023
Background
The Victory Party, which was founded in 2021 by for MP Ümit Özdağ, is a nationalist and anti-immigration party that advocates for the expulsion of Syrian refugees and other migrants from Turkey.
Özdağ is a well-known nationalist politician in Turkey, having served as an MP from the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), and İYİ (Good) Party, an offshoot of the MHP. Özdağ parted ways with İYİ Party in 2021, citing its shift from Turkish nationalism to a center-right stance.
Özdağ’s Victory Party managed to get 2.5 percent of the vote in the parliamentary election, while its presidential candidate, Sinan Oğan, got over 5 percent of the vote in the first round. Erdoğan received 49.5% of while Kılıçdaroğlu received 44.9%. Ahead of the second round, Oğan announced his support for Erdoğan.
Ahead of the runoff vote, Kılıçdaroğlu sought to broaden his appeal and attract more votes from the nationalist and conservative segments of the society. To this end, he struck a secret deal with the Victory Party, which proved insufficient as Erdoğan won the run-off with 52.18% of the votes, while Kılıçdaroğlu received 47.82%. (HA/VK)