In the year in which the Turkish republic marks its centenary, the country is being closely watched to see if a united opposition can succeed in unseating an increasingly authoritarian leader in the NATO-member country.
Turkey’s presidential and parliamentary elections, taking place on Sunday, could stretch President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s rule into a third decade — or they could set the country on a new course.
Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the leader of the secular, center-left Republican People’s Party, or CHP, is the main challenger trying to dislodge Erdogan after 20 years in office.
The 74-year-old is the joint candidate of a six-party alliance that has vowed to dismantle an executive presidential system that Erdogan installed and return the country to a parliamentary democracy with checks and balances.
As well as the opposition alliance, Kilicdaroglu has clinched the support of the country’s pro-Kurdish party, which garners around 10% of the votes. And polls have given him a slight lead. The race is so close, however, that it is likely to be decided in a runoff between the two frontrunners on May 28.
Erdogan, has lost some ground amid a faltering economy and a cost-of-living crisis. His government has also been criticized for its poor response following a devastating earthquake that struck southern Turkey and killed tens of thousands earlier in the year.
“For the first time in the 20 years since Erdogan came to power, he’s facing a real electoral challenge which he may actually lose,” said Ozgur Unluhisarcikli, director of the German Marshall Fund’s Ankara office, adding that the race was about two competing visions.