Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has parlayed his country's NATO membership and location straddling Europe and the Middle East into international influence, is favoured to win re-election in a presidential runoff Sunday, despite a host of domestic issues.
Erdogan, 69, who has amassed greater powers during his 20 years in office, finished a first-round election on May 14 just short of a victory and also retained a majority in parliament. That came despite rampant inflation and the aftermath of a catastrophic earthquake that killed over 50,000 people in the country's south.
To offset the impacts of inflation and win back votes, Erdogan has engaged in a public spending spree ahead of the elections, increasing the minimum wage and pension payments. The World Bank estimates that the earthquake caused US$34.2 billion in"direct damages" -- an amount equivalent to 4% of Turkiye's 2021 gross domestic product. The recovery and reconstruction costs could add up to twice that much, the international financial institution said.
The soft-mannered Kilicdaroglu had vowed to repatriate Syrians within two years, saying he would seek European Union funds to build homes, schools, hospitals and roads in Syria and encourage Turkish entrepreneurs to open factories and other businesses there. In a bid to woo nationalist voters in the lead up to the runoff race, Kilicdaroglu hardened his tone, saying he would send refugees packing within a year of being elected. He has since also won the backing of an anti-migrant party.
Supporters of Turkish President and People's Alliance's presidential candidate Recep Tayyip Erdogan shout slogans during a campaign rally in Istanbul, Turkiye, May 26, 2023. The coalition of six parties has declared a commitment to restore Turkiye as a parliamentary democracy and to give citizens greater rights and freedoms should their alliance win the elections.
But lacking a parliamentary majority, Kilicdaroglu would face an uphill battle implementing the democratic reforms even if he is elected.Seeking to widen his support from voters, Erdogan has expanded his own political alliance with two nationalist parties to include a small Islamist party and also secured the backing of a radical Kurdish-Islamist party.
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