Türkiye - May 2023

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who has been in power for 20 years, was re-elected in Turkey’s two-round presidential race, securing just over 52 per cent of the vote. His rival, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, called elections unfair and accused Russia of interference. International observers stated that media bias and limits to freedom of expression led to an unjustified advantage for the incumbent. Inflation and the subsequent rebuilding efforts following the earthquakes will be Erdoğan’s top priorities. The elections spotlighted the country’s deep polarization, particularly between secularists and Islamists. While the opposition aimed at restoring parliamentary democracy, the victory gives Erdoğan significant influence not only on Turkey’s democratic trajectory but also in global affairs. The 600-seat parliament will host 16 parties, with Erdoğan’s People’s Alliance coalition having a majority of 323 MPs. While the number of women in parliament remains low, it saw a rise from 100 seats in the previous term to 121 in the current one. Only five lawmakers are under the age of 30. Similar to 2018, voter turnout was at 87 per cent.

Sources: Cumhuriyet, Al Jazeera, Twitter (Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu), Deutsche Welle, British Broadcasting Corporation, Cable News Network, The Guardian, Balkan Insight, International IDEA, OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights