Erdogan aims to win re-election – violence may be plan B

Were he to ‘pull a Trump’ and call on supporters to challenge the results, Turkey has few of the institutional guardrails to counter it, writes Borzou Daragahi

Many in both the government and the opposition are urging calm (EPA)

Recep Tayyip Erdogan is doing his best to win Turkey’s 14 May presidential elections on the lopsided battlefield that already favours him. But among opposition figures and analysts, there is a growing fear that Erdogan and his supporters will resort to violence to intimidate voters and challenge the election should the outcome not be in his favour.

The Turkish opposition, Turkey’s international partners and allies, and the even those in the president’s camp must be attuned to this possibility and strive for a peaceful and orderly election.

Erdogan, a master politician adept at winning elections, is leaving nothing to chance. He has poured public funds into various projects that he is unveiling every day. There was Turkey’s first electric car as well as Turkey’s first nuclear reactor, accompanied by a visit from Russian president Vladimir Putin.