Presidential and parliamentary elections are held in Turkey

Elections are held in Turkey on Sunday. The citizens of the country have to choose both a new parliament and a new president. Polling stations opened at eight o’clock in the morning local time.

The current president of Turkey, Recep Erdogan, has been in office for more than 20 years. In the elections, his main competitor is Kemal Kylychdaroglu, nominated jointly by six opposition parties of the People’s Alliance. He is known for his speeches against corruption and for the pro-European development path of Turkey. Sinan Ogan from the political bloc “Alliance ATA” (“Alliance of the Ancestors”) is also running for the presidential post.

According to experts, this is one of the most tense elections in the history of Turkey. If none of the candidates receives more than 50% of the votes in the first round, a second round will be held on May 28.

Turkey approached the elections with a whole set of problems. Three months ago, devastating earthquakes in the southeast of the country claimed the lives of more than 50 thousand people. The affected regions require restoration.

The country is experiencing an economic crisis. Due to reckless measures, with the help of which Erdogan’s government tried to strengthen the Turkish lira since 2019, at the end of 2021, inflation in the country exceeded 36%, and in 2022 – 80%. Support for the current president has significantly decreased due to inflation and rising prices for essential products and services.

The issue of the Kurdish minority and the Kurdish separatist movement also remains unresolved. Ethnic Kurds make up about 15-20% of voters.

In addition to the president, Turkish citizens must elect 600 deputies to the parliament.

Polling stations will close at 5 p.m. local time (coincides with Moscow time).