Turkish opposition party recruits Obama pollster
Keen to unseat the ruling party in the June 7 polls, the Republican People's Party has recruited the Benenson Strategy Group, a US company that crafted President Barack Obama’s campaign.
With the June 7 general elections four months away, Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) is building a comprehensive strategy to end the Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) 13-year rule.
In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, CHP Deputy Chairman Erdogan Toprak, who coordinates the party’s electoral campaign, said the CHP had recruited Benenson Strategy Group (BSG), the US firm credited for President Barack Obama’s winning electoral strategies. Hillary Clinton has also recruited BSG to work for her 2016 presidential bid.
“Previously, we would invite a company and give them our party program to craft an electoral campaign to explain it to the people. This time, we are heading to a critical election of vital importance for the country: Turkey will either derail from the track of democracy into a one-man regime, dictatorship and fascism, or the AKP will be unseated and democracy and the secular republic will be put back on track,” Toprak told Al-Monitor.
“Hence, we’ve adopted a different strategy this time. We had meetings with both local and international strategy and communication companies. Eventually, we reached an agreement a few days ago with BSG, which led President Obama’s last electoral campaign. In addition, we made agreements with several local companies in the field of communication, media and PR to work together with BSG,” Toprak said.
