How free and fair will Turkey’s election be?
The polls are closer than they have been since Recep Tayyip Erdogan came to power 20 years ago
EVER SINCE Recep Tayyip Erdogan won power in Turkey 20 years ago he has been in little danger of losing it. Mr Erdogan and his Justice and Development (AK) party have won every presidential and parliamentary election, usually by comfortable margins. During that period he has become increasingly autocratic, exerting undue influence over the courts, central bank and other state institutions and intimidating the opposition and independent media. The polls, however, show that even with the odds stacked in Mr Erdogan’s favour, the presidential and parliamentary elections to be held on May 14th are too close to call. (A second round will be held on May 28th if no presidential candidate wins more than half the vote.) Assuming the voting is free, Mr Erdogan could well be unseated by Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who leads a unified opposition that is committed to restoring democracy. Will it be?
From the May 13th 2023 edition
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