Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the main rival of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, appeared alongside senior Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) figure Murat Karayilan in a manipulated video where they seemingly repeated the same slogan, escalating tensions ahead of Sunday's elections, which have been marred by accusations of smear campaigns. Polls show Kilicdaroglu leading Erdogan. In a move seen as boosting Kilicdaroglu's chances, another candidate withdrew from the presidential race last Thursday, stating that he faced smear campaigns.
Erdogan has repeatedly implied a connection between the banned PKK and the opposition alliance without providing evidence, attempting to capitalize on the nationalists' hostility toward the PKK. During a massive rally attended by hundreds of thousands on Sunday, Erdogan asked attendees to watch a "very important" video on a screen, showing Kilicdaroglu smiling while urging voters, "Come on, let’s go together to the ballot box."
The video then shows footage of PKK leader Murat Karayilan seemingly saying "Come on," standing beside a group of armed militants applauding him, with Kilicdaroglu's campaign song playing in the background. Erdogan questioned strongly during the video presentation, "Will patriotic citizens of this country vote for them?"
The segment featuring Kilicdaroglu was taken from one of his campaign ads, while the PKK footage was from a video published online ten months ago, featuring armed militants chanting for their imprisoned leader. Erdogan commented on this video during a meeting with students broadcast on Turkish channels Thursday evening, stating, "Kilicdaroglu is supported by the leader of the terrorist group. He says (Come on), and the other says (Come on)."
When asked about this video and Erdogan's use of it in his campaign, Turkish presidential officials declined to comment. Kilicdaroglu expressed significant dismay in an interview with Reuters on Friday, calling the video a lie and lamenting the language used by the president himself. He tweeted, "I tell the youth, there is someone shamelessly directing you towards black propaganda with fake content."
Kilicdaroglu also voiced concerns about Russia being responsible for disseminating fake materials on social media before the vote, stating to Reuters on Friday that he had real evidence of this. The Kremlin dismissed the claims regarding Russian interference in the elections as mere lies created by deceivers.
The PKK, which Turkey and its Western allies label as a terrorist group, has been armed against the state since 1984. The clashes have resulted in over 40,000 deaths during the insurgency. The pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), the third-largest party in parliament, faces a potential ban over its alleged ties to the PKK, which Erdogan has often accused it of having.
The HDP has announced its support for Kilicdaroglu in the presidential elections and is entering the parliamentary race under the umbrella of the Green Left Party due to the threat of its closure.
