After touring Türkiye and days after a major rally in Ankara, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was back in the capital to rally his supporters ahead of the May 14 elections. This time, he addressed a crowd of at least 40,000 people in the Pursaklar district, reiterating his rhetoric against the opposition he accused of siding with terrorist groups.

On the economic side of his speech, Erdoğan pledged "a different approach to those unreasonably raising the rents" after the elections.

"We have 40,000 people here today and this means Pursaklar is ready to increase the vote," Erdoğan told the vibrant crowd as he started his speech.

The president said they managed to gather an "unprecedented" number of people in their rallies. "The message was clear here. This nation does not support those seeking to revert our gains, those with bad intentions about Türkiye’s future, or those marching in the company of terrorist groups. We will not allow this country to be divided," he said.

The president often criticizes his main rival, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, for getting an endorsement from terrorist groups, mainly the PKK, which operates under a separatist agenda.

Erdoğan said the opposition was already "afraid of defeat" and was seeking "an excuse for their imminent loss."

"They say they don’t trust the election committees at polling stations they have representatives," he said.

He highlighted Türkiye’s rise as a global power through production, employment and exports while acknowledging the inflation problem. "We are disturbed by an imbalanced rise, particularly in food and housing prices. We will particularly pursue a very different approach to those raising the rents after the elections.

The solutions to those issues may be temporary but the real solution is increasing the rate of construction of residences. We have to increase production and improve storage to prevent sharp rises and drops in food prices," he said.

Last year, the government put an upper limit on annual increases in home rentals amid inflation. The annual hikes in rents were limited to 25%, something that will remain in force this year as well, the government recently announced. Previously, once-a-year price hikes for existing tenants were capped at the average annual rate of inflation over the past 12 months.

In April, Erdoğan pledged measures that will help tame the volatility in food prices and support livestock and agriculture, as the government has promised to curb inflation heading into pivotal elections. "By expanding contract-based production, we will guarantee the producer’s income, ensure the security of supply and prevent price fluctuations in food," Erdoğan told an event in April.

Stabilizing price increases has been the top priority for the government ahead of the elections, which is seen as the most crucial vote in the centurylong history of the republic.

An election manifesto by Erdoğan and his ruling party pledges to bring stubborn inflation down to single digits, boost growth and raise income.