By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has promised to allow for a peaceful transition of power if rejected by the electorates in Sunday’s poll, assuring not to cling to power.
The Turkish leader has been in power in the past 20 years.
Fielding questions on Saturday on whether he will step down as the country’s leader if he loses at the poll, he denied allegations that he plans to illegally remain in power.
“A very ridiculous question … We come to power through democratic means in Turkey … If our nation decides otherwise, I will do what democracy requires, there is nothing else to do,’’ he added.
Erdoğan, therefore said his bloc will respect “any results coming out of the ballot box,’’
He advised the opposition to deploy people to monitor the election if in doubt.
If the opposition is concerned about electoral safety, they should monitor all polling stations and “ensure safety’’ re-echoing the positions of his party leaders.
“The will of the nation cannot be compromised,’’ Erdoğan added.
Erdogan believes he will be re-elected for another term as well as secure a parliamentary majority in the Sunday polls.
A united opposition candidate, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, is polling slightly ahead in opinion poll.