TURKISH ANTI-MIGRANT PARTY BACKS ERDOGAN’S RIVAL IN PRESIDENTIAL RUNOFF

A hard-line, anti-migrant party on Wednesday threw its weight behind the opposition candidate who is running against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in this weekend’s runoff presidential race.

Umit Ozdag, the leader of the far-right Victory Party, announced his support for main opposition party leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who will be facing off against Erdogan on Sunday. He said he decided to back Kilicdaroglu after the two reached a consensus on the need to repatriate millions of migrants within a year.

Kilicdaroglu ‘has stated very clearly that refugees should return to their homeland and that this is the policy he will implement,’ Ozdag told reporters following several rounds of talks with Kilicdaroglu. ‘Therefore, as the Victory Party, we decided to support Mr. Kilicdaroglu in the second round of the presidential election.’

Ozdag added that the two agreed on ‘a model that is in line with international laws and upholds human rights, that would ensure the security of Syrians in Syria but lift the heavy burden on Turkey’s economy and that would make our streets safe again.’

Source: National News Agency – Lebanon