ISTANBUL, Turkey — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s chief rival accused Russia on Thursday of spreading “deep fakes” ahead of this weekend’s crucial general election.
Kemal Kilicdaroglu’s allegations came hours after a third-party candidate dropped out of the race after being targeted by an online smear campaign.
“Dear Russian friends,” Kilicdaroglu said on Twitter. “You are behind the montages, conspiracies, deep fakes and tapes that were exposed in this country yesterday,” he said without providing details.
“If you want our friendship after May 15, get your hands off the Turkish state. We are still in favor of cooperation and friendship.”
Polls show the secular opposition leader edging ahead of Erdogan in Sunday’s presidential ballot.
Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition
by email and never miss our top stories
By signing up, you agree to the
terms
File: A woman stands in front of election campaign flags of People’s Democratic Party (HDP) and a banner with a portrait of Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hanging on historical Sur castle at the historical Sur district in Diyarbakir, southeastern Turkey, on May 1, 2023. (ILYAS AKENGIN/AFP)
The election will go to a May 28 runoff if no candidate picks up more than 50 percent of the vote.
Kilicdaroglu’s comments came in the heat of an increasingly dirty campaign that saw third-party candidate Muharrem Ince pull out on Thursday.
Ince announced his decision after being targeted by an online campaign that included doctored images of him meeting women and riding around in fancy cars.
Polls show most of Ince’s support — measured at between two and four percent — likely going to Kilicdaroglu.
It's not (only) about you.
Supporting The Times of Israel isn’t a transaction for an online service, like subscribing to Netflix. The ToI Community is for people like you who care about a common good: ensuring that balanced, responsible coverage of Israel continues to be available to millions across the world, for free.
Sure, we'll remove all ads from your page and you'll unlock access to some excellent Community-only content. But your support gives you something more profound than that: the pride of joining something that really matters.
Join the Times of Israel Community
Join our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
