Less than three weeks before the general elections scheduled for May 14, opposition leader Kemal Kiliçdaroglu is causing a stir on the Internet with an unexpected video about his religious faith.
He is filmed in shirt sleeves, casually dressed, in his office, in the middle of the books. Kemal Kiliçdaroglu posted this video on the evening of April 19 as the end of Ramadan approaches, first on YouTube and then on all media, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, etc. Five days later, the video is approaching 110 million viewsa score worthy of pop stars or star influencers, in a country of 85 million inhabitants.
Why such virality? Because in this video, Kemal Kiliçdaroglu breaks a taboo for Turkey: he publicly acknowledges his confession. He is Alevi, a minority branch of Islam, attached to Shiism. “I am Alevi”lets go of the opposition candidate after 45 seconds, after announcing, at the start of the video, his intention to speak about a “particular and sensitive subject”. And he continues: “I am a sincere Muslim (…) I want to put an end to the confessional disputes that have made Turkey suffer (…) we will no longer speak of separations but of common dreams”. The video has been hailed by all opposition leaders who see it as a courageous act and a gesture of reconciliation.
A very minority branch of Islam
It is a courageous act because the Alevis are very much in the minority in Turkey, only five million people. In the past, they were often ostracized, and even targeted by attacks. The most conservative Sunnis regard them as heretics. The Alevi tradition defends an Islam of reflection and tolerance, where prayers are mixed: men and women gather together in a common house of prayer. A diplomat who knows Turkey well told us a few weeks ago that she doubted Kemal Kiliçdaroglu’s ability to win, precisely because he is Alevi.
Outgoing President Recep Tayip Erdogan, who is seeking a new mandate after already 20 years in power, relies on the most conservative Muslims and blows on the embers of religious divisions. By assuming his belonging to a minority branch of Islam, Kemal Kiliçdaroglu is taking an act of political maturity that takes the outgoing president by surprise. Recep Teyip Erdogan will no longer be able to make treacherous allusions to his opponent’s faith. So he just reacted by saying: “Why did you wait until you were 74 to confess your religious affiliation?”
Five points ahead of Erdogan in the polls
Three weeks before the election, Kemal Kiliçdaroglu is still in the lead in the polls of voting intentions. His lead has shrunk a little but he is credited on average with five points more than the outgoing president. The key to the election lies partly in the behavior of the youngest: there will be six million new voters on May 14. Many are affected by unemployment and inflation. It should benefit the opposition. But in Türkiye, the polls are relatively reliable. And President Erdogan, more charismatic than his opponent, will do everything to soften the electoral climate. Incidents are increasing over the days and Kemal Kiliçdaroglu has had to give up several trips. But all the same, the virality of this video says something.