The president of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is favored to continue his 20-year Islamic-based government until 2028 as he enters the final week of a historic runoff election.
Secular leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu gave the opposition its best result during Erdogan’s rule in the May 14 parliamentary and presidential elections.
With almost 45% of the vote, the retired bureaucrat of Kurdish Alevi descent broke through Erdogan’s hold on the state apparatus, the media, and ethnic boundaries.
Erdogan, however, was only one point short of exceeding the 50% threshold needed to win the first round.
The 69-year-old leader succeeded in spite of Turkey’s worst economic crisis since the 1990s and polls suggesting he was headed for his first loss.
You must be logged in to post a comment.