{"id":576367,"date":"2023-05-28T13:50:25","date_gmt":"2023-05-28T10:50:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/erdogan-seeks-third-decade-of-rule\/"},"modified":"2023-05-28T13:50:25","modified_gmt":"2023-05-28T10:50:25","slug":"erdogan-seeks-third-decade-of-rule","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/erdogan-seeks-third-decade-of-rule\/","title":{"rendered":"#Erdogan seeks third decade of rule"},"content":{"rendered":"
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) \u2014 Voters in Turkey returned to the polls Sunday to decide whether the country\u2019s longtime leader stretches his increasingly authoritarian rule into a third decade, or is unseated by a challenger who has promised to restore a more democratic society<\/a>.<\/p>\n

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has been at Turkey\u2019s helm for 20 years, is favored to win<\/a> a new five-year term in the second-round runoff, after coming just short of an outright victory in the first round on May 14.<\/p>\n

The divisive populist finished four percentage points<\/a> ahead of Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the candidate of a six-party alliance and leader of Turkey\u2019s center-left main opposition party. Erdogan\u2019s performance came despite crippling inflation and the effects of a devastating earthquake three months ago.<\/p>\n

Speaking to reporters after casting his vote at a school in Istanbul, Erdogan noted that it\u2019s the first presidential runoff election in Turkey\u2019s history. He also praised the high voter turnout in the first round and said he expected participation to be high again on Sunday.<\/p>\n

\u201cI pray to God, that it (the election) will be beneficial for our country and nation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Kilicdaroglu (pronounced KEH-lich-DAHR-OH-loo), a 74-year-old former bureaucrat, has described the runoff as a referendum on the country\u2019s future<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis election took place under very difficult circumstances, there was all sorts of slander and defamation,\u201d Kilcdaroglu told reporters after casting his ballot. \u201cBut I trust in the common sense of the people. Democracy will come, freedom will come, people will be able to wander the streets and freely criticize politicians.\u201d He voted at the same time as Erdogan as local television showed the rivals casting ballots on split screens.<\/p>\n

More than 64 million people are eligible to cast ballots. The polls opened at 8 a.m.<\/p>\n

Turkey does not have exit polls, but the preliminary results are expected to come within hours of the polls closing at 5 p.m.<\/p>\n

The final decision could have implications far beyond Ankara, because Turkey stands at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, and it plays a key role in NATO.<\/p>\n

Erdogan turned his country from a mostly inward-looking nation into a geopolitical player with a foothold in hotspots such as Syria and Libya.<\/p>\n

His government vetoed Sweden\u2019s bid to join NATO and purchased Russian missile-defense systems, which prompted the United States to oust Turkey from a U.S.-led fighter-jet project. But under Erdogan, Turkey also helped broker a crucial deal that allowed Ukrainian grain shipments and averted a global food crisis.<\/p>\n

The May 14 election saw 87% turnout, and strong participation is expected again Sunday, reflecting voters\u2019 devotion to elections in a country where freedom of expression and assembly have been suppressed.<\/p>\n

In the mainly-Kurdish populated province of Diyarbakir \u2014 one of 11 regions that was hit by the Feb. 6 earthquake \u2014 60-year-old retiree Mustafa Yesil said he voted for \u201cchange.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI’m not happ<\/a>y at all with the way this country is going. Let me be clear, if this current administration continues, I don\u2019t see good things for the future,\u201d he said. “I see that it will end badly \u2014 this administration has to change.”<\/p>\n

But Mehmet Yurttas, an Erdogan supporter, disagreed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe that our homeland is at the peak, in a very good condition,\u201d the 57-year-old shop owner said. \u201cOur country\u2019s trajectory is very good and it will continue being good.\u201d<\/p>\n

If he wins, Erdogan, 69, could remain in power until 2028. After three stints as prime minister and two as president, Erdogan is already Turkey\u2019s longest-serving leader. A devout Muslim, he heads the conservative and religious Justice and Development Party, or AKP.<\/p>\n

The first half of Erdogan\u2019s tenure included reforms that allowed the country to begin talks to join the European Union, and economic growth that lifted many out of poverty. But he later moved to suppress freedoms and the media<\/a> and concentrated more power in his hands, especially after a failed coup attempt that Turkey says was orchestrated by the U.S.-based Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen. The cleric denies involvement.<\/p>\n

Erdogan transformed the presidency from a largely ceremonial role to a powerful office through a narrowly won 2017 referendum that scrapped Turkey\u2019s parliamentary system of governance. He was the first directly elected president in 2014 and won the 2018 election that ushered in the executive presidency.<\/p>\n

The May 14 election was the first that Erdogan did not win outright.<\/p>\n

Critics blame Erdogan\u2019s unconventional economic policies for skyrocketing inflation that has fueled a cost-of-living crisis. Many also faulted his government for the slow response to the earthquake that killed more than 50,000 people in Turkey.<\/p>\n

Still, Erdogan has retained the backing of conservative voters who remain devoted to him for lifting Islam\u2019s profile in the Turkey, which was founded on secular principles, and for raising the country\u2019s influence in world politics.<\/p>\n

In a bid to woo voters hit hard by inflation, he has increased wages and pensions and subsidized electricity and gas bills, while showcasing Turkey\u2019s homegrown defense industry and infrastructure projects. He also centered his reelection campaign on a promise to rebuild quake-stricken areas, including constructing 319,000 homes within the year. Many see him as a source of stability.<\/p>\n

Kilicdaroglu is a soft-mannered former civil servant who has led the pro-secular Republican People\u2019s Party, or CHP, since 2010. He campaigned on promises to reverse Erdogan\u2019s democratic backsliding, to restore the economy by reverting to more conventional policies, and to improve ties with the West.<\/p>\n

In a frantic effort to reach out to nationalist voters<\/a> in the runoff, Kilicdaroglu vowed to send back refugees and ruled out peace negotiations with Kurdish militants if he is elected.<\/p>\n

Many in Turkey regard Syrian refugees who have been under Turkey\u2019s temporary protection after fleeing the war in neighboring Syria as a burden on the country, and their repatriation became a key issue in the election.<\/p>\n

Earlier in the week, Erdogan received the endorsement of the third-place candidate, nationalist politician Sinan Ogan, who garnered 5.2% of the votes and is no longer in the race. Meanwhile, a staunchly anti-migrant party that had supported Ogan\u2019s candidacy, announced it would back Kilicdaroglu.<\/p>\n

A defeat for Kilicdaroglu would add to a long list of electoral losses to Erdogan, and put pressure for him to step down as party chairman.<\/p>\n

Erdogan\u2019s AKP party and its allies retained a majority of seats in parliament following a legislative election that was also held on May 14. Parliamentary elections will not be repeated Sunday.<\/p>\n

Erdogan\u2019s party also dominated in the earthquake-hit region, winning 10 out of 11 provinces in an area that has traditionally supported the president. Erdogan came in ahead in the presidential race in eight of those provinces.<\/p>\n

As in previous elections, Erdogan used state resources and his control of the media to reach voters.<\/p>\n

Following the May 14 vote, international observers also pointed to the criminalization of dissemination of false information and online censorship as evidence that Erdogan had an \u201cunjustified advantage.\u201d They also said that strong turnout showed the resilience of Turkish democracy.<\/p>\n

Erdogan and pro-government media portrayed Kilicdaroglu, who had received the backing of the country\u2019s pro-Kurdish party, as colluding with \u201cterrorists\u201d and of supporting what they described as \u201cdeviant\u201d LGBTQ rights.<\/p>\n

Kilicdaroglu \u201creceives his orders from Qandil,\u201d Erdogan repeatedly said at recent campaign rallies, a reference to the mountains in Iraq where the leadership of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, or PKK, is based.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe receive our orders from God and the people,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The election was being held as the country marked the 100th anniversary of its establishment as a republic, following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire.<\/p>\n

Sunday also marks the 10th anniversary of the start of mass anti-government protests that broke out over plans to uproot trees in Istanbul’s Gezi Park, and turned into one of the most serious challenges to Erdogan’s government.<\/p>\n

Erdogan’s response to the protests was a harbinger of a crackdown on civil society and freedom of expression. Eight people, including philanthropist businessman Osman Kavala, architects, and a filmmaker, have been convicted over their alleged involvement in the protests.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

Zeynep Bilginsoy reported from Istanbul. Mucahit Ceylan contributed from Diyarbakir, Turkey.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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ANKARA, Turkey (AP) \u2014 Voters in Turkey returned to the polls Sunday to decide whether the country\u2019s longtime leader stretches his increasingly authoritarian rule into a third decade, or is unseated by a challenger who has promised to restore a more democratic society. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has been at Turkey\u2019s helm for 20…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":576368,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/vU9A0wWtbGIktKo7hn8raA--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyMDA7aD04MzE-\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/ap.org\/ac7921e4d1a8cece2c827beef19a3129","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-576367","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/576367","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=576367"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/576367\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/576368"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=576367"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=576367"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=576367"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}