Turkey's opposition unites to fend off election fraud
A wide array of Turkish opposition groups has announced the formation of an alliance to ensure the hotly contested upcoming elections are run fairly.
Turkey’s largest pro-Kurdish bloc and right-wing nationalists have found common ground thanks to growing worry about potential fraud by the ruling Justice and Development Party in the June 24 presidential and parliamentary elections. The Peoples’ Democratic Party and the Iyi (Good) Party have teamed up with the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), Saadet (Felicity) Party, a small Islamist party, and several trade unions and civil society initiatives to establish what they are calling the “Fair Election Platform.”
In a news conference announcing the alliance, members said their purpose is to take “collective steps” to avert tampering at polling stations. Planned efforts include training volunteers to observe the elections in person and ensure that “hundreds of thousands” of monitors will maintain a presence at each and every ballot box.
