Turkish president slams int'l media outlets over publishing 'sneaky' articles on upcoming elections

By Diyar Guldogan

ANKARA (AA) - President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday criticized international media outlets that recently tried to influence public opinion with "sneaky" articles on Türkiye's upcoming elections.

"International media organizations, which do not even properly deal with the elections in their own countries, follow the election process in Türkiye every day.

"They even go beyond following them and try to guide the public with their despicable headlines and sneaky articles they publish," Erdogan said at an event in the western Denizli province.

Erdogan added: "Of course, we are aware of what bothers them, why they attack us, why they meddle in the elections in our country."

His remarks follow a recent article published by the London-based weekly The Economist, calling on outsiders to pay attention to Türkiye's upcoming elections, and claiming that the country is "on the brink of disaster" under Erdogan. Later, Erdogan lambasted The Economist, saying: "The British magazine cannot determine the fate of Türkiye."

Previously, Erdogan said May 14 is the "most suitable" date for holding the next parliamentary and presidential elections.

As Türkiye’s ruler since 2003 – first as prime minister and then since 2014, as president – Erdogan added the country will experience "one of the most critical" elections in its history on May 14.