Erdogan Comes to Sarajevo for the Turkish Diaspora Election Rally

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed on Friday that he plans to hold a central election rally in Sarajevo with Turks living abroad during May, but the authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina currently have no official announcement of such an event.

Erdogan, who is preparing for extraordinary parliamentary and presidential elections in his country, stated, according to the Turkish newspaper ‘Hurriyet’, that Sarajevo has become the chosen destination for the election gathering of the Turkish diaspora after some other European countries announced that they would not allow such gatherings to be organized on their soil.

– In a situation where some countries are discussing whether they will allow us to campaign, we prefer to gather with our citizens in BiH, Erdogan told reporters on May 3 upon returning from a trip to South Korea.

He added that he expects Turks residing in other European countries to attend this gathering.

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Turkish media previously announced that Erdogan’s election rally could be organized on May 20, likely in one of the larger halls in Sarajevo, but the authorities in BiH have not received any announcement or notification about it.

The spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of BiH, Nebojša Regoje, told Hina that they have not received any information from Ankara, and it is assumed that in this case, the host for Erdogan would certainly be the Presidency of BiH, given that he is the head of state.

It is also assumed that if such a gathering is held, the organizer could be the Turkish embassy or one of the non-governmental organizations, and the procedure is such that they would have to seek permission from the local authorities in Sarajevo for that.

– Local authorities, of course, and the police, grant permission for such gatherings, Regoje said.

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Erdogan could appear as a speaker at such a gathering, but that is again a matter for the organizers.

A large number of Turkish citizens live in BiH, and the organizations that gather them are extremely active in showing support for Erdogan, especially after last year’s failed coup attempt.

Under pressure from Ankara, Fetulah Gullen, Erdogan’s main political opponent who financially supported the operation of a network of educational institutions operating under the name ‘Bosna – Sema’, was forced to cease activities in BiH.

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Erdogan has established extremely close ties with Bakir Izetbegović, the current chairman of the Presidency of BiH and president of the ruling Party of Democratic Action (SDA).

Extraordinary presidential and parliamentary elections in Turkey, which Erdogan plans to use to consolidate his power, are scheduled to be held on June 24.

Authorities in Germany and Austria, where a large number of Turks also live, have banned the holding of election rallies for Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) fearing violence that could erupt between Erdogan’s supporters and opponents.