The second round of presidential elections is taking place in Turkey

In Turkey, polling stations open at 8 a.m. on Sundays. The second round of presidential elections is underway. Recep Erdogan, who has held the post of head of state for 20 years, is opposed by the opposition Kemal Kylychdaroglu.

The first round of elections was held on May 14. Not a single candidate received the required 50% of votes to win. 49.5% of voters voted for Erdogan, almost 45% for Kylychdaroglu. The third contender, Sinan Ogan from the far-right “Alliance of Ancestors”, won about 5% of the vote and, leaving the race, called on his supporters to vote for Erdogan in the second round.

Today’s election is one of the most tense in the entire history of Turkey as a republic. Turkey approached the elections with a whole set of problems, including the consequences of a devastating earthquake in the southeast of the country three months ago, which killed more than 50 thousand people. The affected regions require restoration, while the Turkish economy is sliding into an increasingly severe economic crisis. Last year, inflation in Turkey exceeded 80%.

Erdogan’s critics fear that if he is re-elected, the country will finally turn into an autocracy.

During the campaign, Kemal Kylychdaroglu stated that if he came to power, he would return the country to a new course, “reviving democracy after several years of state repression” and restoring ties with the West. He also promised that he would maintain friendly relations with Russia, however, a few days before the elections, Kylychdaroglu accused the Kremlin of interfering in the election campaign.

According to observers, it is more profitable for Russia if Erdogan, who has been actively communicating with Vladimir Putin for many years, remains in power. Under him, Turkey did not join the sanctions against Russia in connection with the aggression against Ukraine. At the same time, this country supplies Ukraine with some types of weapons, the most famous of which are Bayraktar drones.

With the mediation of Turkey, a “grain deal” was concluded concerning the terms of export of grain from Ukrainian ports blocked by Russia in the first months of the full-scale invasion.