Observations are made that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s reappointment is likely in the final round of the Turkiye (Turkey) presidential election, which is approaching one day ahead.
This is because President Erdogan took first place in the first round of voting, and the third-place candidate, who emerged as a “king maker,” suddenly declared that he supported President Erdogan. But there are also concerns that Erdogan’s re-election will intensify authoritarian rule and further exacerbate an economy already in crisis.
◇’30 years’ Erdogan approaching power
On the 25th (local time), the New York Times (NYT) reported that “most people are moving on the assumption that President Erdogan will win” in the final vote for the Turkish presidential election on the 28th.
In the presidential election held earlier on the 14th, President Erdogan won 49.51% (about 27.1 million votes) as a result of the final tally, followed by Kemal Kultzdaroglu, leader of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), with 44.88% (about 24.6 million votes).
Since no majority (50%) of the vote came out in the election, the result of the presidential election was overshadowed in the final round, but the atmosphere is strong that President Erdogan will succeed in a second term.
President Erdogan ranked first in the vote share, and in the general elections held alongside the presidential election, the People’s Coalition led by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) defended its position as the largest political party.
In addition, Victory Party leader Sinan Oan, who came in third in the presidential election, also declared his support for President Erdogan at a press conference on the 22nd.
Representative Ohan received about 2.8 million votes (5.23% of the vote) in this presidential election and ranked third, with only about 2.5 million votes (4.63%p) between President Erdoğan and Representative Clz Daroglu.
In the end, there is an analysis that the support of CEO Ahn Oh can play a decisive role in determining the outcome of the presidential election.
◇Erdogan re-elected, what will Turkey look like?
If President Erdogan succeeds in extending his power, the direction of Turkey’s policy will not be much different from the current one.
The NYT analyzed, “Erdoğan has been virtually the most powerful politician in Turkey for 20 years, combining his career as prime minister and president.
In particular, it is expected that the authoritarian system will be further strengthened based on the solid foundation of governance built by President Erdogan.
President Erdogan has also been suppressing sexual minorities, saying that it is against Islamic doctrine, and has shown an anti-American and anti-Western line.
In particular, Russia, which became a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), is still friendly with Russia, which has been at odds with the rest of the world due to the invasion of Ukraine, and has been at odds with the European Union (EU) by taking a hardline stance on the immigration issue.
Although there was a crisis due to the earthquake that hit Turkiye in February, it succeeded in strengthening the foundation of support with a pledge to “complete the reconstruction within one year” and a 55% increase in the minimum wage.
However, there are also concerns that if Erdogan takes office, the already serious inflation in Turkey could intensify.
President Erdogan maintained a policy of lowering interest rates while prioritizing economic growth despite high inflation, which led to a vicious cycle of depreciation of the lira and intensifying inflation.
This has also led to financial market instability. After Erdogan performed well in the presidential election, the financial market was fluctuated, with stocks and bonds in Turkey plummeting and the exchange rate hitting an all-time high.
The NYT emphasized, “President Erdogan spent a lot of money ahead of the election to ensure that each sector of society does not feel the shock of inflation,” and “in the end, someone has to pay for it.”
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.