Ultranationalist Sinan Oğan won a respectable victory. Before the second round, he allows candidates to dodge his election recommendation. He drew “red lines”.
Unlike Muharrem Ince, who also didn’t stand a chance, who surprisingly withdrew his candidacy three days before the election due to an alleged scandal, Sinan Oğan held out to the last – and is now reaping the political reward. The 55-year-old ultranationalist has achieved respectable success: 5.2%, around three million voters, he swings the scales for the second round between Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Kemal Kiliçdaroğlu.
On election night, the economist with Azerbaijani roots left no doubt that he would wield his power as a key figure in statesmanship over the next two weeks. “We will never allow Turkey to go into crisis,” he said – as if the country weren’t already in a serious economic crisis.