Twitter Block Posts In Turkey Before Presidential Election

Kemal Kilicdaroglu became a challenger for Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the Turkish presidential election. (photo: twitter @kilicdarogluk)

JAKARTA - Twitter began blocking posts in Turkey ahead of the presidential election which was considered one of the most historic elections in the country's history.

"In response to the legal process and to ensure Twitter remains available to the Turkish people, we have taken action to limit access to some content in Turkey today," the social media company announced in a tweet on Friday in English and Turkish.

In response to legal process and to ensure Twitter remains available to the people of Turkey, we have taken action to restrict access to some content in Turkey today.

— Twitter Global Government Affairs (@GlobalAffairs) May 13, 2023

In response to legal processes and tosure Twitter remains available to the people of Turkey, we have taken action to restrict access to some content in Turkey today.

"We have notified the account owner of this action in accordance with our policy. This content remains accessible worldwide," the announcement added.

Twitter did not mention which tweets were blocked, and the company no longer has a communication department that Engadget can reach for more information.

Twitter's decision to comply with censorship requests from the Turkish government has highlighted Elon Musk's confidence in free speech. On Friday, May 12, Musk, who on the same day announced Linda Yaccarino as Twitter's next CEO, attacked Bloomberg columnist Matthew Yglesias when Yglesias stated that this decision "should have produced an interesting report on Twitter Files."

"Why do you leave your body, Yglesias? The option is to limit Twitter as a whole or limit access to multiple tweets. Which option do you want?" Musk tweeted Yglesias.

Did your brain fall out of your head, Yglesias? The choice is have Twitter throttled in its entirety or limit access to some tweets. Which one do you want?

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 13, 2023

Did your brain fall out of your head, Yglesias? The Choice is having Twitter suddenly in its entirety or limit access to some tweets. While one do you want?

As The Washington Post notes, this Sunday's presidential election could have a significant impact on Turkey. After two decades in power, Recep Tayyip Erdogan faced the biggest threat to his presidency in the last memory.

Ahead of this Sunday's contest, most polls show that opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu is slightly superior to his opponent. If elected, Kilicdaroglu has promised to change the country's domestic policy.

Erdogan's fall could also have a major impact on Turkey's relations with other powers in the region, including Russia and NATO.

According to CNN, if no candidate wins more than 50 percent of the vote, the country will hold a re-election on May 28. At the time of writing, Erdogan leads Kilicdaroglu by an 11 percent margin, although this can change as more votes are counted.