Ankara: Turkiye voters will once again go to the polls on Sunday to decide whether the nation's longtime leader will continue to rule in an increasingly authoritarian manner for a third decade or will be ousted by a rival who has pledged to bring back a more democratic society.
Following a narrow loss in the first round on May 14, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has led Turkiye for 20 years, is expected to win a new five-year term in the second round runoff.
Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the candidate of a six-party alliance and head of Turkiye's main center-left opposition party, finished four percentage points ahead of the divisive populist who made his nation a geopolitical player. Despite crippling inflation and the aftermath of a devastating earthquake, Erdogan performed admirably.
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Former bureaucrat Kilicdaroglu, 74, has referred to the runoff as a vote on the future of the nation. Voting is open to more than 64 million voters.
Although Turkiye lacks exit polls, early results are anticipated to be released within a few hours of the polls closing at 5 p.m. Due to Turkiye's strategic location at the confluence of Europe and Asia and its significant role in NATO, the final decision may have effects far beyond Ankara.
Turkey was expelled from a US-led fighter-jet project after it rejected Sweden's application to join the alliance and bought Russian missile defence systems. Erdogan's administration, however, also assisted in negotiating a crucial agreement that permitted grain shipments from Ukraine and prevented a world food crisis.
In a nation where freedom of speech and assembly have been curtailed, the 87 percent turnout in the election on May 14 and the expected high turnout on Sunday reflect voters' devotion to elections.
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Erdogan, 69, could hold onto power through 2028 if he wins. The devout Muslim leader of the conservative and religious Justice and Development Party, or AKP, is already Turkey's longest-serving leader after serving three terms as prime minister and two as president.
During the first half of Erdogan's presidency, the country underwent reforms that enabled accession negotiations with the EU and experienced economic growth that helped many people escape poverty. But after a botched coup attempt, he took steps to restrict freedoms and the media and to consolidate his own power.
Erdogan won a narrow referendum in 2017 to abolish Turkey's parliamentary system of government, turning the presidency from a largely ceremonial position to a powerful one. He won the 2018 election that brought about the executive presidency and was the first directly elected president in 2014. The election on May 14 marked the first time Erdogan did not come out on top. Erdogan's unorthodox economic strategies are allegedly to blame for the spiralling inflation that has caused a cost-of-living crisis. Many also criticised his government for its tardiness in responding to the earthquake in Turkiye, which claimed the lives of over 50,000 people.
Nevertheless, Erdogan continues to enjoy the support of conservative voters who support him because he has increased the profile of Islam in the nation that was founded on secular principles and increased Turkey's influence in international politics.
He has raised wages and pensions, subsidised electricity and gas bills, and highlighted Turkiye's indigenous defence industry and infrastructure projects in an effort to win over voters who have been hard hit by inflation.
In addition, he ran for reelection on a platform of rebuilding earthquake-hit areas, including building 319,000 homes this year. He is viewed as a pillar of stability by many.
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Since 2010, Kilicdaroglu, an amiable former civil servant, has served as the leader of the Republican People's Party, or CHP, a party that supports secularism. He ran for office promising to improve relations with the West, restore the economy by returning to more traditional policies, and stop Erdogan from eroding democracy.
Kilicdaroglu vowed to send back refugees and ruled out any peace negotiations with Kurdish militants if he is elected in a desperate attempt to win over nationalist voters in the runoff.