Türkiye Istanbul, bullets against the CHP. The opposition accuses the government: “it encourages aggressions”

Attacks against the headquarters of the opposition party, whose candidate will compete with Erdogan in the presidential elections, are growing. Shooting and vandalism against electoral posters. The executive fuels a “climate of fear and intimidation.” According to the latest polls, no candidate will win in the first round; the possibility of a ballotage between Erdogan and Kilicdaroglu.

Istanbul () – Less than a month from the general elections In Turkey, a crucial stage in outlining the future of the country and of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose leadership has never been so questioned as now, attacks against opposition parties are increasing. The latest complaint comes from the Republican People’s Party (CHP), whose candidate and opposition front figure Kemal Kilicdaroglu will compete in the upcoming elections. The CHP accuses the government of creating “a climate of fear and intimidation” that “encourages aggression.” The movement’s offices in Istanbul have already been attacked in recent weeks and today they are under fire.

Canan Kaftancıoğlu, leader of the CHP in Istanbul, denounced that the party headquarters in the Örnek district, in Ataşehir, was attacked with shots. In another episode for intimidation purposes, they vandalized some election posters of the opposition candidate Kilicdaroglu, which appeared defaced with the initials of President Erdogan. In a message on Twitter, Kaftancıoğlu blames the government for the climate of fear fueling the attacks and calls on the authorities to punish the perpetrators.

Police opened an investigation and reportedly identified six suspects, who tore down party flags and damaged the windows of the CHP headquarters. They were joined by two other people, still unidentified, who would have fired shots into the air.

In March, the Good Party (İYİ) headquarters had already suffered similar episodes. The party office, located in Istanbul, was also attacked with firearms. Earlier this month, a man was arrested for opening fire in front of the CHP provincial headquarters, fueling fears of incidents and acts of violence before the vote. Meanwhile, according to the latest polls, a runoff in the presidential election seems increasingly likely. Neither candidate would achieve a 50% majority, partly due to the persistent fragmentation of the opposition, despite the attempt at unity with the “Table of Six”.

The consultancy Aksoy carried out a survey among 1,067 people between April 1 and 8. Poll results give Kılıçdaroğlu 47.8% of the vote and Erdogan 38.4%. Muharrem İnce, the CHP’s candidate in the 2018 presidential elections, would get 9% of the vote, while the far-right candidate Sinan Oğan would get 4.8%. A second institute, Mak, conducted a poll between April 10 and 16, polling 5,750 people in 52 provinces: 47.8% said they would vote for Kılıçdaroğlu versus 43.7% for Erdogan, İnce would get 3.4% and Oğan 4%. If none of the candidates manages to exceed 50% of the votes, a ballotage will be held two weeks after the first round.