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Turkey Turkey’s ruling party picks al-Qaida-linked hate preacher for parliamentary elections

TURKEY’S ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has nominated a former al-Qaida suspect as a candidate for next month’s snap parliamentary elections.

Osman Nuri Gulacar, a fiery imam accused of stoking up tensions with radical hate speech, was arrested in 2009 during investigations into the Islamist terror group’s operations in Turkey.

He was accused of being al-Qaida’s kingpin in the eastern province of Van and spent two months in prison on pre-trial detention before being cleared of all charges.

The controversial cleric’s home was raided again in 2014 in relation to further investigations into al-Qaida activities.

Mr Gulacar ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Van in 2014, when then prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan described him as a “spotless person” and a “bright personality.”

However his campaign was notorious for its violence, with attacks on the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) offices and an incident in which his bodyguards fired indiscriminately on a hostile crowd.

He failed in his bid to become an AKP candidate in the 2015 elections but this time around he topped the list of nominees in Van and will stand in next month’s parliamentary vote.

President Erdogan has long been accused of support for jihadist groups with, Turkey’s ongoing invasion and occupation of Afrin in northern Syria being conducted in partnership with Islamist fighters under the banner of the Free Syrian Army.

He goes into the presidential and parliamentary elections with Turkey’s economic crisis deepening and concerns over his ability to manage the country’s economy.

The Turkish lira continued to slide yesterday, with ministers accusing enemies of Mr Erdogan of manipulating the currency.

Turkey’s Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag said: “Those who believe they can change the results of this election by playing with the dollar are mistaken.

“The nation has detected this game and those who play it.”

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