Turkish voters headed to the polls Sunday in a vote that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called “a matter of survival.”
By Kareem Fahim Kareem Fahim Istanbul bureau chief covering the Middle East Email Bio Follow March 31 at 7:16 AM ISTANBUL — Voters headed to the polls across Turkey on Sunday in local elections that are seen as a critical test of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s nationwide popularity, especially in large cities, at a moment when Turks are expressing growing anxiety because of an economic downturn.
A crackdown on the government’s opponents that intensified after a failed coup in 2016 has added to the domestic unease and has also troubled Turkey’s relationships with western allies, causing sharp fluctuations in the Turkish lira and putting investors on edge.Erdogan’s own position is secure.
People wave at the car carrying President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as it arrives at a polling station in Istanbul on Sunday. “It is a matter of survival,” Erdogan said of the poll, at a rally in a working-class district of Istanbul on Friday. The government has accused the party of links to the outlawed separatist Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK. HDP leaders have denied those links. Erdogan has also cast aspects of the economic crisis, including the wild fluctuations of the Turkish lira, as part of a plot against Turkey carried out by the United States and other western nations.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Erdogan says Turkey will take issue of Golan Heights to U.N.Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday that Turkey will take the issue ...
Read more »
Erdogan says Turkey will not go back on purchase of Russian S-400sTurkey will not go back on the purchase of S-400 missile systems from Russia no ...
Read more »
Erdogan says Turkey will not go back on purchase of Russian S-400sISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey will not go back on the purchase of S-400 missile systems from Russia no matter what the United States says, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday. He made the comment in an interview with broadcaster TGRT Haber. The United States could soon freeze preparations for delivering
Read more »
'I'm in charge,' says Turkey's Erdogan, as lira dives ahead of electionsPresident Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday he was 'in charge of Turkey'...
Read more »
Uighur dissident in Turkey fights effort to extradite him to ChinaThe Turkish government deems Abdulkadir Yapcan too dangerous to attend his own extradition proceedings in Turkey.
Read more »
Erdogan says Turkey will solve Syria issue 'on the field' after Sunday's electionsTurkey will solve the Syria issue 'on the field' after Sunday's l...
Read more »
Turkey will take Golan Heights issue to UN – ErdoganTurkey's President Erdogan says he will take the issue to UN as Israel's PM Benjamin Netanyahu reaches Washington amid expectations US President Trump will formally recognise Israel's sovereignty over occupied Syrian territory.
Read more »
No PKK/YPG in safe zone with Turkey on Syria border: US'What we’re working with Turkey is to have a safe zone [on the Syria border] ... where there would be no YPG forces because Turkey feels very nervous about the YPG and their ties to the PKK.” US Special Representative for Syria Engagement James Jeffrey
Read more »
The Economic Factor in the 2019 Local Elections in Turkey.TRTWorldRC To what extent has the recent fluctuations in Turkish currency influenced voter inclinations? We asked experts to provide their analysis for our latest info pack on the economic factor in the upcoming local elections in Turkey:
Read more »
Now China Is Detaining Muslims From Other CountriesTurkey is one of the few Muslim-majority countries to call out China’s crackdown on Uighur Muslims. A BuzzFeed News investigation finds that several Turkish nationals have also disappeared, something that has never been publicly acknowledged by Turkey.
Read more »