And it increases Erdogan’s chances of winning the parliamentary majority that the Justice and Development Party and its allies won in the May 14 elections. Erdogan also received another boost on Monday after nationalist politician Sinan Ogan, who finished third in the first round of the presidential election, announced his support for the Turkish president in the second round.
Today’s elections will determine not only who will lead the country, but also how it will be governed and where its economy and foreign policy will go.
As for Kilicdaroglu, who has also gained new support from a far-right leader, he is backed by a coalition of six opposition parties, including his Republican People’s Party.
Erdogan, modern Turkey’s longest-serving leader, has championed religious considerations and low interest rates while asserting Turkish influence in the region and reducing the NATO member’s ties to the West.
The elections come three months after devastating earthquakes hit southeastern Turkey, killing more than 50,000 people.
What awaits Turkey after the elections?
Erdogan has been the country’s most powerful leader since Mustafa Kemal Ataturk founded the modern Turkish Republic a century ago. Erdogan and his Justice and Development Party have moved the country away from Atatürk’s secular approach.
Erdogan has also concentrated power in an executive presidency based in a thousand-room palace on the outskirts of Ankara, through which policies are made on economic, security, domestic and international affairs.
In economics, experts say Erdogan’s calls for lower interest rates drove inflation to a 24-year high of 85% last year, and the lira fell to a tenth of its value against the dollar over the past decade.
what about the rest of the world?
Under Erdogan’s rule, Turkey has projected its military might in the Middle East and beyond, launching four incursions into Syria, cracking down on Kurdish militants in Iraq and sending military support to Libya and Azerbaijan.
Turkey also fought a series of diplomatic clashes, until it changed its position two years ago and sought to get closer to certain countries.
Erdogan’s purchase of Russian air defense systems has led to US sanctions targeting Ankara’s arms industry, while his closeness to Russian President Vladimir Putin has sparked skepticism from critics over the commitment of Ankara towards NATO. Ankara’s objections to demands by Sweden and Finland to join the military alliance have also sparked tensions.
However, Turkey brokered a deal allowing the export of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea, suggesting a role Erdogan could play in efforts to end the war in Ukraine. It is not yet clear whether there is a potential successor who has the potential to achieve the same stature that Erdogan has achieved on the international stage, a point he raised during his election campaign.
What are the opposition’s promises?
The two main opposition parties, the secular Republican People’s Party (CHP) and the center-right nationalist Good Party, have allied themselves with four smaller parties on a platform that would reverse many of the policies that characterized the regime. ‘Erdogan.
These parties have pledged to restore central bank independence and get rid of Erdogan’s unorthodox economic policies. The opposition also intends to abolish its executive presidency and return to the previous parliamentary system, as well as the return of Syrian refugees to their country.
The parties also aim to improve relations with Western allies, including the United States, and to bring Turkey back into the F-35 fighter jet program from which it was excluded after buying Russian missile defenses.
Analysts believe that the policies promised by the opposition could stimulate foreign investment.
Seeking the support of nationalist voters in the run-off, Kilicdaroglu has stepped up his anti-immigrant rhetoric over the past two weeks and pledged to send migrants home.
How far does the race go?
Kilicdaroglu won 44.9% of the vote in the first round to Erdogan’s 49.5%, reflecting strong support for the president despite deteriorating cost of living and opinion polls showing ahead of the election the leading candidate. of the opposition.
Pollsters then attributed the result to an unexpected increase in nationalist support at the time of the vote.
Erdogan said a vote in his favor would ensure stability after his coalition won a parliamentary majority.
The four-decade-long conflict between Turkey and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) was an important factor in the election campaign, as well as the role of the main Kurdish political parties.
Although the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party is not part of the opposition alliance, it strongly opposes Erdogan after a campaign targeting its members in recent years prompted him to declare his support for Kilicdaroglu.
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