Daily Times

After two decades of being in power, Tayyib Erdogan failed to secure the 50 per cent majority he needed to continue in his capacity as president. The outcome of the vote, which took place last Sunday, sets the stage for a two-week battle between Mr Erdogan and opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu to win enough votes in a May 28 runoff that may effectively alter Turkey’s political landscape. With the unofficial count nearly completed, Erdogan received 49.6 per cent of the vote, falling shy by just six points. But both sides claim to be ahead, citing concerns that the official count is not a fair representation of the people’s will.

This is a classic case of the old guard versus the new guard. Erdogan, who has presided over Turkey for twenty years, oversaw a period of unprecedented economic growth, lifting millions in the country out of poverty and into stability. Internationally, he has situated himself as a democratic Islamist who remains intent on maintaining close ties with the West. But with time, Mr Erdogan’s critics have grown both at home and abroad-his authoritarian style, in particular, has received extreme scrutiny from the media. Seizing every opportunity to sideline rivals and concentrate power into his own hands, his long incumbency has seen Turkey edge closer and closer to autocracy. The Parliament has already lost significant power under Erdogan’s rule when the country shifted to a presidential system after a referendum in 2017.

While Erdogan remains popular with rural, working class and religious voters his inability to clinch a decisive victory in Sunday’s election is evidence that his popularity has declined. With food prices rising in Turkey and the economy more precarious than it has been in the last decade, many feel that it is time for someone new to take the reins. This has resulted in a coalition of six opposition parties, all coming together to challenge his rule by backing Mr Kilicdaroglu instead. Offering a stark contrast to Erdogan’s tough-guy persona, Kilicdaroglu routinely campaigns from the comfort of his kitchen, talking every day about issues like the price of onions. Indeed, the upcoming elections may very well be the most important in Turkey’s history, changing its course forever. *