The world this week

Politics

ISTANBUL, TURKEY - MAY 15: Supporters of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan celebrate at the AK Party headquarters on May 15, 2023 in Istanbul, Turkey. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan faced his biggest electoral test as the country voted in the general election. Erdogan has been in power for more than two decades -- first as prime minister, then as president -- but his popularity had recently taken a hit due to Turkey's ongoing economic crisis and his government's response to a series of devastating earthquakes. Meanwhile, the political opposition united around one candidate, Kemal Kilicdaroglu. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)
Image: Getty Images

Turkey’s presidential election will head to a run-off on May 28th, after Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the incumbent, fell just shy of 50% in the first round of voting. Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the candidate of an opposition alliance of six parties, got 45%. Mr Kilicdaroglu may now struggle to unseat Turkey’s strongman, who has presided over rampant inflation. In a bad night for the opposition Mr Erdogan’s Justice and Development (AK) party retained a comfortable majority in parliament.

This article appeared in the The world this week section of the print edition under the headline “Politics”

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