Opposition claims military contractor poses risk to Turkish elections
Kemal Kilicdaroglu has highlighted security company Sadat as a potential threat to polls due over next year.
ISTANBUL — Turkey’s opposition has raised fears that a private military contractor close to the government could threaten elections due to be held over the next year.
Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), warned last week of Sadat International Defense Consultancy’s possible involvement in electoral violations.
Sadat was founded by former Brig. Gen. Adnan Tanriverdi, who left the Turkish army in 1996 amid accusations that his Islamist leanings were at odds with the military’s secularist outlook. He served as an adviser to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and as a member of the Presidency's Security and Foreign Policy Committee until two years ago.
“These people were serving as an adviser to Erdogan until yesterday," Kilicdaroglu said on Friday outside Sadat’s Istanbul headquarters. “If anything happens to shake the security of the elections, Sadat and the [presidential] palace are responsible.”
