“Biden gave the instructions saying ‘we have to topple Erdogan.’ I know this. All my people know this. Tomorrow the ballots will give Biden an answer as well,” Erdogan said during an election rally in Istanbul.
Turkey will go to the polls on Sunday to elect a new president and parliament to lead the country at the dawn of the second century of the republic. It is the country’s most crucial vote in years as the opposition looks to end two decades of Erdogan’s rule.
In a 2020 interview with the New York Times, Biden encouraged Turkey’s opposition to defeat Erdogan at the ballot box.
At the rally, Erdogan also criticized his challenger Kemal Kilicdaroglu who had accused Russia of being behind fabricated videos and fake content online that have affected the race. The Kremlin denied the charge.
Erdogan said Russia is a crucial ally in agriculture, defence, and tourism sectors.
Despite NATO member Turkey’s close ties with Moscow, it has sold weapons and arms including drones to Ukraine in its war with Russia.
Turkey has not joined its NATO allies in imposing sanctions on Russia. Erdogan lauded this and claimed that Kilicdaroglu has said they will impose sanctions on Moscow. There is no public record of Kilicdaroglu saying this.
Turkish presidential and parliamentary elections will take place on Sunday. Erdogan faces his toughest challenge as his popularity has slumped amid an economic crisis, the soaring cost of living and inflation, and the aftermath of February’s devastating earthquake.
On Friday, ORC research firm, which accurately predicted the results of the 2018 presidential election, released the result of their latest poll that predicts Kilicdaroglu winning the race in the first round.
