Turkey Slams US for Meddling in Elections

During a press briefing on Wednesday, Soylu stated, "The plan by the US intensifies actively... the reason for Western media's interference is the realization of America's plan (in Turkey)."

Soylu's remarks came as a response to an increasing media campaign by American and European news outlets that have labeled Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as a "dictator and tyrant," similar to efforts seen in elections of other countries where the US has preferred candidates.

He further said Erdogan has succeeded in eliminating Western intrusions and that the West is now trying to impose its vision on Turkey. Soylu asserted, "With our victory in the 2023 election, a hundred-year stability will begin. They see it. There is no election a US ambassador would not like to control."

Referring to Turkey's geopolitical priorities, Soylu highlighted that they do not align with Western interests, stating, "Turkey did not accept the US's mandate. They have been trying to take revenge for it for 104 years. Everyone is aware of it."

Last week, the interior minister also alleged that the US would attempt a presidential coup during the upcoming election, blaming Washington for a failed coup attempt in Turkey in 2016. He further accused the US of involvement in the military coups of 1960 and 1971.

In 2016, a faction of the Turkish military was accused of attempting to overthrow Erdogan. The Turkish government claimed that the failed coup was orchestrated by Fethullah Gulen, a US-based cleric and former ally of Erdogan. Following the coup, thousands of people were arrested and dismissed from public service based on alleged ties to Gulenists and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

Meanwhile, as diplomats from Turkey, Syria, Iran, and Russia concluded their summit on the Syrian conflict in Moscow, reaffirming Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity, tensions between the US and regional countries over improving ties with Damascus continue. The US maintains an illegal military presence in Syria and opposes efforts to normalize relations with the Syrian government, favoring the occupying Israeli regime.

In the upcoming presidential election, Erdogan's main rival is Kemal Kilicdaroglu, an economist and the leader of the Republican People's Party (CHP). Kilicdaroglu was nominated as a presidential candidate by a six-party opposition alliance, receiving support from the Kurdish-dominated Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP). Erdogan's administration accuses the HDP of having links to the PKK.

As pre-election polls have not yet indicated a clear favorite, a second voting round will take place on May 28 if no candidate secures 50 percent of the votes. Some Turkish commentators have also raised concerns about a potential "color revolution" orchestrated by the US during the elections, similar to past events in West Asia and post-Soviet European and Central Asian states.