Now-defunct ATA Alliance leader Sinan Oğan, who recently announced his endorsement of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as the candidate for the May 28 runoff election, argued that opposition Nation Alliance candidate Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu should thank him for giving him a second chance in the second round, indicating that he would have lost in the first round had he not participated.
"I’d like to remind Mr. Kılıçdaroğlu that if he’s able to run in the second round today, it is thanks to Sinan Oğan," Oğan told a live interview on TRT Haber on Thursday.
He continued by criticizing the main opposition leader for not giving any hope to win the elections yet continued to criticize Oğan.
"I’m the one who gave you a second chance. He should thank me for it," he added.
Oğan, who surprisingly received more than 5% of the vote in the first round, said that in his discussion with the main opposition leader, he did not say anything promising to convince him that he would win the election.
"The HDP was my red line... But, unfortunately, I did not get an effective response," Oğan said, adding that it is against his nature to be on the same page as the pro-PKK Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), now rebranded as the Green Left Party (YSP).
He also said the pro-PKK HDP officially endorsed Kılıçdaroğlu in the second round and that Turkish nationalists will never be on the same page.
Criticizing Kılıçdaroğlu for failing to secure any victories in the past 21 years, including a majority in the Parliament, Oğan said the former’s criticism is groundless as he argued that having a Parliament from two different factions would bring the country into crisis.
"There’s nothing more natural than to support the side who has a majority in the Parliament," he said, adding that Türkiye cannot tolerate instability.
With the Turkish election witnessing a tight competition that advanced to a second round, Oğan’s decision to throw his support behind Erdoğan could profoundly impact the outcome. Moreover, as a right-wing figure within the political landscape, Oğan’s endorsement carries weight, potentially swaying the opinions of nationalist voters who had previously aligned with his platform.
Millions of voters went to the polls on May 14 to elect the country’s president and members of its 600-seat parliament.
President Erdoğan’s People’s Alliance won a majority in the parliament. As a result, Erdoğan will face Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the leader of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) and joint candidate for the six-party opposition Nation Alliance, in the runoff vote.
Erdoğan finished the first round with 49.52% of the vote, while Kılıçdaroğlu came second at 44.88%, and Oğan of the ATA Alliance, which has now dissolved, got 5.17%.