Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is a greater threat to the world than the coronavirus pandemic, former ally of the leader and head of opposition Turkish Future party Ahmet Davutoglu said.
Mr Davutoglu told party officials that the greatest danger to Europe and the world was the culture of despotism, which had been spread by populist leaders such as Mr Erdogan. “The criterion for the tribal-state is lack of choice, and choice is the measure of democracy," he said.
“As long our people are suffering, and there is deep corruption, and the dignity of our country is insulted abroad, we will keep calling for early elections," the former head of Mr Erdogan's ruling AK party said.
The Turkish opposition leader also criticised the presidential system of government implemented in 2016 by Mr Erdogan to consolidate more power.
Mr Davutoglu said the country needed to return to a parliamentary system because the current system only produced crises.
He reiterated his demand for early elections, which the opposition began pushing at the beginning of October.
Mr Davutoglu served as prime minister to Mr Erdogan between 2014 and 2016 before breaking away from the AK party and forming a rival political movement to challenge the longtime Turkish leader. He also served as foreign minister from 2009 to 2014 and has a wide network of connections abroad.
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Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove
- Edinburgh, Scotland
- Westminster, London
- Camden, London
- Glasgow, Scotland
- Islington, London
- Kensington and Chelsea, London
- Highlands, Scotland
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Low turnout
Two months before the first round on April 10, the appetite of voters for the election is low.
Mathieu Gallard, account manager with Ipsos, which conducted the most recent poll, said current forecasts suggested only two-thirds were "very likely" to vote in the first round, compared with a 78 per cent turnout in the 2017 presidential elections.
"It depends on how interesting the campaign is on their main concerns," he told The National. "Just now, it's hard to say who, between Macron and the candidates of the right, would be most affected by a low turnout."
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Honeymoonish
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EA Sports FC 25
Developer: EA Vancouver, EA Romania
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4&5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5