Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the rival of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the presidential elections, intensified his tone regarding migrants, Thursday, and pledged to return them all to their country once he wins the run-off, on May 28.
Kilicdaroglu, the candidate of the six-party opposition alliance, won the support of about 45 percent of voters in the first round of Turkey’s presidential elections, last Sunday, while Erdogan won 49.5 percent, just short of the majority needed to avoid a run-off.
Kilicdaroglu’s latest statements came amid expectations that Sinan Ogan, who came third in the presidential race, would announce his decision regarding the candidate he would support in the run-off.
Sinan Ogan, a nationalist politician endorsed by an anti-refugee party, received the support of 5.2 percent of voters, making him the kingmaker in the run-off.
In a speech to his party members at the headquarters of the Republican People’s Party, Kilicdaroglu maintained his defiant tone against Erdogan’s immigration policies.
He said, “Erdogan… you intentionally allowed ten million refugees to enter Turkey. You even offered Turkish citizenship for sale to obtain imported votes,” without providing evidence.
According to official statistics, Turkey hosts the largest number of refugees in the world, estimated at four million.
“I announce here that I will repatriate all refugees to their countries once I am elected president,” Klitschdar added.
Kılıçdaroğlu said in his election campaign that they intend to return the Syrians in Turkey to their country within two years after concluding an agreement with the head of the Syrian regime, Bashar al-Assad, for their safety and in coordination with the United Nations.
