Millions of voters in the Eurasian transcontinental nation are heading to the polls to cast their ballots in presidential and parliamentary elections, which observers say will be the toughest test yet for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after 20 years in power.
Polling stations across Türkiye opened at 8am local time (12pm Vietnam time) on May 14, and will close at 5pm the same day (9pm Vietnam time).
According to the Turkish Supreme Election Board (YSK), a total of 191,885 ballot boxes were set up in 973 districts and 1,094 district election commissions across the country to elect the President and 600 members of the Grand Assembly (Turkish Parliament) for the next five-year term.
More than 64.1 million voters will cast their ballots at home and abroad, including about 4.9 million first-time voters. The number of voters in prison is 53,172.
In the presidential election, Turkish voters will choose between Erdogan, leader of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), and Sinan Ogan of the ATA Alliance. Muharrem Ince, another presidential candidate, unexpectedly withdrew from the race on May 11.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, current President of Türkiye, leader of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). Photo: Getty Images
A candidate needs more than half of the presidential vote to win. However, if no one reaches 50%, the top two candidates face off in a runoff vote that takes place two weeks after the official election.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, 69, is the current President of Türkiye. He has been in power for 20 years, first as Prime Minister (2003-2014), then as President.
He is now seeking a third consecutive presidential term. This could be the most challenging election Mr Erdogan has faced in his political career as the opposition has united behind candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu.
Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), Erdogan's main rival. Photo: Times of Israel
Mr Kilicdaroglu, 74, has led the opposition CHP for more than a decade. Before entering politics, he worked at Türkiye's finance ministry and then headed the social insurance sector during the 1990s.
He also faced Mr. Erdogan three times but lost all of them. This time, Mr. Kilicdaroglu was nominated by a coalition of six opposition parties as the candidate to run for President of Türkiye and is chasing Mr. Erdogan closely in the polls right before the general election.
If Erdogan wins, he will certainly double down on his domestic and foreign agendas, especially with regard to Russia, Europe and the United States. He will continue to pursue a hybrid approach to the great powers, balancing Turkey’s interests with the West and Russia. Erdogan will maintain Turkey’s membership in NATO while strengthening trade and geopolitical ties with Russia.
A Turkish citizen living in Kuwait holds a ballot with four presidential candidates on May 5, 2023. Of the four candidates, Muharrem Ince unexpectedly withdrew from the race on May 11, 2023. Photo: Daily Sabah
On the other hand, if Mr Kilicdaroglu wins, he may be inclined to reverse some of his predecessor's domestic economic and political policies and undo some of the illiberal measures enacted since the failed 2016 coup.
But judging by the historical record, leaders in Türkiye and elsewhere tend to retain the executive powers and prerogatives they inherited from their predecessors. The test for Mr Kilicdaroglu may be his willingness and ability to reverse Mr Erdogan’s constitutional reforms and return to a parliamentary system.
Mr Kilicdaroglu, who lacks foreign policy experience, has been too focused on domestic issues and a faltering economy. If elected, he would likely soften Turkey’s tone toward its Western partners and NATO, and remove its veto over Sweden’s membership in the military alliance.
In addition to Mr. Erdogan and Mr. Kilicdaroglu, there is another candidate running for President of Turkey, Mr. Sinan Ogan. Mr. Ogan, 55 years old, represents the nationalist ATA Alliance .
Minh Duc (According to Al Jazeera, Anadolu Agency)
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