‘The devil we know’: Does the West want Erdogan to win? | eKathimerini.com

‘The devil we know’: Does the West want Erdogan to win? Turkish President and People's Alliance's presidential candidate Recep Tayyip Erdogan gestures as he gives a speech during an election campaign rally in Ankara, Sunday. Presidential elections in Turkey are scheduled to take place on May 14. [AP] Omer Taspinar 01.05.2023 • 15:35 Is there a Western preference as Turkey approaches a major inflection point on May 14? Would the United States and Europe prefer President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to remain in power or finally see some change in Ankara? The conspiracy-prone Turkish public opinion is often obsessed with external forces seeking to shape its destiny. The choice is of course for Turks to make in their own presidential and parliamentary elections. But because Erdogan is a master tactician at mobilizing such anti-Western domestic sentiment in his favor, there is much prudence, especially in Washington, not to take sides beyond pronouncements reminding the importance of “free and fair” elections. Under the surface, however, an unpronounced and highly self-serving Western preference seems to strangely exist. Sadly, it is the wrong one, unworthy of Western democracies that should be much more supportive of Turkish democracy instead of seeing Erdogan as the devil they know. More:‘The devil we know’: Does the West want Erdogan to win? | eKathimerini.com