Erdogan’s hands increased the salary of 700 thousand public employees on the eve of voting in Turkey

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has handed Turkey’s 700,000 public sector workers a big pay rise just days before a hotly contested election.

Turkey’s leader announced a 45 percent pay rise for low-level civil servants on Tuesday and said he would not allow anyone to be crushed by inflation.

Erdogan faces Kemal Kldarolu, who represents the six-party opposition alliance, in what analysts say is one of the most important polls since the president came to power 20 years ago. Erdogan’s popularity has plummeted as the purchasing power of many Turks has been eroded by rising inflation and the lira’s record selloff against the US dollar.

Polls show Kldarolu has a narrow lead, but analysts say it is unlikely any politician will win half the votes needed to win because other candidates are also running for president. If neither Erdoğan nor Kldarolu wins 50 percent of the vote, there will be an unprecedented second round election on May 28.

The ruling Justice and Development party has tried to convince voters that it will improve economic conditions, with lower-level officials often suggesting that only Erdogan is needed to boost prosperity in the country of 85 million.

However, economists say Erdogan’s unorthodox approach, including cutting interest rates, is one of the main reasons why inflation is rising and investors are fleeing Turkish markets.

Erdogan has released a steady stream of public handouts in recent weeks. The most striking announcements are a free month of natural gas for consumers, a reduction in electricity prices, and an increase in the minimum wage and pensions of government employees.

Erdogan regularly talked about new facilities such as the Black Sea gas plant and the nuclear reactor being built by Russia, which were widely reported on TV networks and newspapers, saying that this would improve the welfare of the Turkish people and businesses.

The president also commented on former deputy prime minister Mehmet Imek, who was well received by foreign investors but left the government in 2018 when Erdogan appointed his son-in-law as finance minister. Some analysts see this as a sign that Erdogan may consider a more conventional economic approach if he wins the election.

Kldarolu has promised that his coalition, known as the Six Table, will reform the country’s economic governance and try to bring back foreign capital. The opposition leader told the Financial Times last month that if he wins, he will appoint a new central bank chief and replace bureaucrats in key government agencies.

Erdogan and Kıldaroğlu held mass election rallies in Istanbul this weekend as the campaign reached its climax. In a sign of rising tensions, attackers threw stones at Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Mamolun, one of the senior leaders of the opposition alliance, at a rally in eastern Turkey on Sunday. Although Mamolu was not injured, photos showed several participants needing medical attention as the windows of the mayors’ bus were smashed.

Additional reporting in Ankara by Funja Gler