Once-Ubiquitous Erdogan Fades Into Shadows in Istanbul Revote
- Advisers fear his prominence could hurt ruling party contender
- Turkish president used Istanbul mayor’s job as springboard
Tayyip Erdogan
Photographer: Bulent Kilic/AFP via Getty Images
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has ditched his plans to aggressively campaign for the ruling party in the rerun of the Istanbul mayor’s election, worried that could cost his candidate the race, according to three officials.
Erdogan, 65, has abandoned plans for dozens of rallies in Turkey’s commercial hub before the June 23 ballot in favor of a campaign led by the AK Party’s candidate, according to the officials, who asked not to be identified because the information is sensitive. The Turkish leader has also allowed his candidate, former Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, to join the first televised political debate between Istanbul mayoral candidates in two decades, they said.