The May 14 elections are not only a choice for who will be elected but a choice for Türkiye’s future path, ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) Deputy Chairperson Numan Kurtulmuş said Monday.

Speaking in Istanbul, Kurtulmuş hit at the main opposition, saying that the Republican People’s Party (CHP) has adopted an unpatriotic understanding and that the Turkish people have not brought the party to power for many years.

"Türkiye will never again be the center of sectarian and ethnic conflicts a century later in someone’s hands. Everyone’s ethnicity may be different. But we are all citizens of the Republic of Türkiye. We are all members of this beloved nation. We are all children of the same civilization. We are breathing under the same flag," Kurtulmuş pointed out.

"That’s why we say that the May 14 election is historic; it is the election of the century and the choice of direction. It is the period of establishing the 'Century of Türkiye' based on a strong and great Türkiye again," he added.

Kurtulmuş’s comments on sectarianism came after CHP Chairperson Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu recently brought the issue up in a video where he spoke up about being an Alevi. This sect combines Shiite Islam, the Bektashi Sufi order and Anatolian folk culture rather than being a separate religion.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, on the other hand, accused Kılıçdaroğlu of attempting to "exploit ethnic and sectarian differences" in Türkiye.

The AK Party government has so far taken action to meet Alevis’ demands, like public recognition of their identity, the legal status and funding of cemevis, which are places of worship for the community, and setting up a platform to address ongoing problems within the community.