| Erdogan’s election prospects take a hit |
| Three days before crucial presidential and parliamentary elections in Turkey, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s chances of securing a swift victory have narrowed after one of his challengers left the race. The move is likely to benefit Erdogan’s main competitor, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who is backed by a coalition of six opposition parties. |
| The elections, seen by some as a make-or-break moment for Turkish democracy, will set the future course for Turkey, a major economy at the intersection of Europe, Asia and the Middle East, and a NATO ally of the U.S. If Kilicdaroglu obtains a simple majority, Erdogan’s 20-year streak as Turkey’s most prominent politician would come to a sudden end. |
| The election could also alter Turkey’s foreign affairs. Under Erdogan, the country has pursued a nonaligned foreign policy that has unnerved its NATO allies. Although Turkey condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine and has sent aid to the Ukrainian military, Erdogan has also pursued a closer relationship with Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, and hobbled efforts to expand NATO. |
| Context: At home, Erdogan’s standing has sunk, primarily because of extremely high inflation that has eaten into family budgets. Many economists attribute the inflation, which exceeded 80 percent last year, to ill-advised financial policies. |
