Turkey’s Erdogan lays out promises to party base, but offers few details 

ISTANBUL — Surrounded by the pageantry of his party, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan took to the stage of the Ankara Sports Hall on Tuesday to unveil candidates and a manifesto for next month’s presidential and parliamentary elections. 

Erdogan, who is seeking his third presidential term on May 14, stepped out with his wife Emine onto a stage backed by a dazzling display of blue LEDs and spotlights. The lightbulb symbol of his Justice and Development Party (AKP) and stylized crescent-and-star logos declaring the “Century of Turkey” flanked the podium. 

Directly in front of him sat the party’s senior figures and hundreds of prospective legislators standing for parliament in the dual poll. 

In the stands of the hall, usually filled by basketball and volleyball spectators, were thousands of party members waving flags in the AKP’s orange, white and blue colors. The party’s election slogans — “The right man at the right time for the Century of Turkey” and “Moving forward with the right steps” — loomed above the crowd. 

“We are here to open the door of the Century of Turkey together with our nation,” the president said, describing those who opposed this effort as “coup plotters” and “global imperialists.” 

Before Erdogan’s appearance, a parade of senior government ministers appeared on TV to praise the party’s achievements during its 20-year rule. Some 90% of the Turkish media is under the control of the government or its backers. 

The sports hall, situated in the center of Ankara, was scoured by security teams ahead of the rally and attendees were thoroughly searched before entering. Others braved the brisk spring breeze to watch the spectacle on TV screens set up outside the venue. 

In a 90-minute speech, Erdogan reeled through a wide-ranging list of election pledges without providing much detail of how they would be funded during an economic crisis. The “main job” of explaining the manifesto would be done “face-to-face with our people in homes, streets and neighborhoods,” he said. 

The president, who has been accused of fueling inflation through a policy of high interest rates, promised to appoint a “strong economy team” after the elections. He also committed himself to bringing inflation down to single figures from its current 50.5% official rate and slashing unemployment to 7% by creating 6 million new jobs over five years. 

In a bid to further appease voters struggling with inflation that some economists estimate at 112.5%, Erdogan offered to increase per capita income to $16,000 from around $10,600. He boosted payments to pensioners and civil servants earlier this year and on Tuesday pledged above-inflation pay rises. 

Ankara Arena’da bitmeyen coşku

Ankara Arena hiç olmadığı kadar coşku ve heyecana tanıklık etti. AK Parti’nin seçim beyannamesini açıklayan Başkan Erdoğan, salonun hemen her köşesi ile iletişim kurdu pic.twitter.com/cVJ2RT0WeK

— A Haber (@ahaber) April 11, 2023

He also set a goal of $400 billion in exports by 2028, up from $254 billion at present, while boosting investment in tourism to attract revenues of $100 billion. Increasing the number of international students in Turkey to more than 1 million would represent 10% of the global market, Erdogan added. 

Domestic students would receive tax exemptions for cell phones and computers, Erdogan said, as well as structuring social assistance to tackle poverty. 

Timothy Ash, a Turkey specialist at BlueBay Asset Management in London, questioned the viability of Erdogan’s economic commitments. 

“Hard to understand how these numbers add up,” he wrote in a note to investors. “High growth, low inflation and a current account surplus? It sounds like Alice, or rather Tayyip, in Wonderland economic outcomes.” 

In a nod to the AKP’s focus on traditional values and its antipathy to alternative lifestyles, Erdogan said young people would be encouraged to start families through state contributions and the “family structure” would be protected from “deviant movements” through “material and moral support.” 

A “family and youth bank” would be financed by natural gas and oil revenues, and Turkey’s proposed energy independence would be secured through recent discoveries of Black Sea gas and the Akkuyu nuclear power plant due to be opened later this month, Erdogan added. 

Transport infrastructure — a cornerstone of growth under the AKP — would be prioritized with further rail development, including a “super high speed” line between Ankara and Istanbul. 

The president also backed infrastructure investment around the route earmarked for the Istanbul Canal, a planned shipping route to bypass the Bosphorus that has been widely criticized over environmental and other concerns. 

Addressing the destruction of February’s earthquakes in southern Turkey, Erdogan said a new government would build 650,000 new homes, including 319,000 completed within a year. 

The president’s speech also focused on past achievements, including the party’s electoral success over the previous decades. “Since the day we were founded as the AK Party, we have managed to come out on top in all 15 elections and referendums,” he told the crowd. 

Among the audience were 600 candidates for parliament, including 16 of Erdogan’s current cabinet such as Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu.