Turkish elections: Kilicdaroglu's turn to nationalism with an eye on Ogan voters

Many expected anti-immigrant slogans to dominate the campaign until May 28 after the nationalist current strengthened in last Sunday's polls and the presidential candidate of the six-party National Alliance of the opposition after opening up to young people, in a video he posted on his Twitter account called on those who "love their country to come to the polls".

"We will not leave our country in this mentality that brought us ten million illegal immigrants," Kilicdaroglu said, this time not from the kitchen of his home, but from his office with a photo of Kemal Atatürk in the background.

Kilicdaroglu accused the Erdogan government of being "under the control of Russia", adding that "we will not abandon our country to those who treat women as objects".

It should be noted that Kilicdaroglu has in the past out-Erdoganed Erdogan in jingoist rhetoric calling on him to assault and "take back" eighteen islands that "are illegally occupied by Greece".This he has said on numerous occasions. Another member of the six party opposition coalition Meral Akşener, formerly of the extremist Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) has also voiced similar threats against Greece, on numerous occasions in public speeches and in the Turkish assmbly.

Flirting with Ogan's nationalist votes

Both Kilicdaroglu and Erdogan are trying to win over voters of the third presidential candidate, nationalist Sinan Ogan, who won 5.2% in the first round - capable of helping the official opposition leader close his gap 4.5% that separates him from the Turkish president.

Ogan told Reuters he would support Kilicdaroglu in the second round if the latter agreed not to make concessions to the pro-Kurdish party. But a move away from the Kurdish vote would be disastrous for Kilicdaroglu, who prevailed in Kurdish-dominated areas. Kilicdaroglu is expected to contact Ogan again after their first phone call on election night as the latter said he was "very close" to deciding who he would support, insisting on his conditions: that the secular character of the Turkish state not be affected; to return the approximately four million Syrian refugees to their homeland and to continue the fight against the "terrorist organizations" of the Gulenists and the Kurds.

Erdogan is playing the card of stability

At the same time, Erdogan, who is a breath away from renewing his term as president, insists that only he can ensure stability in Turkey, highlighting on Kanal D and CNN Turk networks the fact that the governing coalition secured an absolute majority in the National Assembly . "Turkey needs a political order, where the executive and legislative powers will be harmonized. If there is such harmony, the results will be very positive for the future of our country", he noted.

In the same interview, Erdogan fired back at Kilicdaroglu for talking about a Russian finger online on the eve of the election. And he noted that he himself will seek good relations with all major powers: "I don't insult any foreign leader, I negotiate with all of them," he said, revealing that he is not planning large election rallies ahead of the second round.