Erdogan toured 30 provinces on his campaign trail

Turkey’s outgoing prime minister and President-elect Recep Tayyip Erdogan toured 30 provinces in Turkey during his presidential campaign.

Erdogan decided to run for president following internal discussions in his Justice and Development Party (JDP) and in consultation with other NGOs. His candidacy for the presidency was officially announced at the Ankara Chamber of Commerce on July 1. His first campaign event was held in the city of Samsun on July 5.

In his speech to supporters in Samsun, Erdogan recalled what occurred in the same place 95 years ago: “On 19 May, 1919, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk arrived in Samsun and embarked on the first step towards independence; and after 95 years, we are witnessing an equally important step. We chose to begin our journey to the presidential elections from here in Samsun.”

Erdogan visited 29 other cities on his campaign trail, including Erzurum, Denizli, Erba, Yozgat, Antalya, Shanli Urfa, Sakarya, Tekirdag, Bursa, Urdu, Hatay, Iskenderun, Adana, Mersin, Diyarbakir, Van, and Mardin, respectively.

In his speeches, Erdogan emphasised the importance of the presidential elections since this is the first time Turks elect a president by direct vote. He portrayed it as the “last door towards modern Turkey.”

His campaign slogans included: “The will of the people”, “the power of the people”; “target 2023”, stressing on the “people’s will”. He also reiterated that he has been fighting an uphill battle throughout his past 12 years as a politician, and vowed to continue the battle in his role as president, especially against the “parallel organisation” of exiled Imam Fethullah Gulen.

Erdogan inaugurated the Fatih Terim stadium during his campaign, and scored a hat-trick in a friendly football game with a number of well-known players and public figures.

During the Eid Al-Fitr feast, a campaign video showed Erdogan entering the Cankaya Presidential Palace with a number of citizens.

Following Eid, Erdogan visited 15 cities and delivered speeches before massive crowds.

His campaign also featured meetings with leaders of renowned religious groups, such as Abdel-Kader Badelli from the Noursi group and Mahmut Ustaosmanoglu.

He also held televised interviews with six TV channels in which he answered questions from the electorate regarding his campaign pledges.