More than 60 million voters are set to cast ballots on Sunday in Turkey’s most pivotal elections in a generation to determine if President Recep Tayyip Erdogan extends his increasingly authoritarian rule into a third decade.
Turkey’s longest-serving leader has molded the NATO member into a regional power that plays a growing role from Ukraine to Syria. But increasingly erratic economic policies have left the 69-year-old incumbent vulnerable to voter resentment after an inflation crisis last year gutted household budgets.
Erdogan’s main challenger, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, has the backing of the nation’s broadest-ever grouping of opposition parties. Kilicdaroglu, 74, is running on a promise to restore the rule of law, mend strained ties with the West and return to economic orthodoxy.
The world’s money managers are waiting for the election’s outcome to decide whether Turkey becomes a “buy” again. Foreign money flooded Turkey’s equity and debt markets during Erdogan’s first decade in power, but investors exited in recent years as Erdogan’s growth-at-all-costs policies debased the nation’s currency.
Key Developments
- Erdogan Teeters Before Turkey Vote That’s Got the World Watching
- Quiet Politician Steps Up to Challenge Erdogan as Vote Looms
- Turkish Vote Gives $900 Billion Emerging Market a Comeback Shot
- Erdogan’s Followers Reconsider Their Loyalties as Election Looms
- Why Turkey’s Election Is a Big Test for Erdogan: QuickTake
(All times Istanbul, GMT+3)
Security Personnel on Alert (13:12 p.m.)
Over 600,000 members of the security forces are on duty for the election, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said, according to the state-run Anadolu Agency. Soylu oversees the nation’s police and paramilitary security forces.
Security concerns are running high after the opposition accused Russia of interfering in the vote, an accusation the Kremlin denied, and Twitter said it was restricting some content inside Turkey.
Candidates Vote (12:23 a.m.)
“Voting without any concerns by the electorate is key to show the strength of Turkish democracy,” Erdogan said after casting his vote in Istanbul.
His main rival, Kilicdaroglu, said “We’ve all missed democracy very much,” state-run TRT television reported.
High Turnout Expected (8:30 a.m.)
Turnout is expected to be high as millions of Turkish citizens flocked to the polls, forming long queues outside some ballot stations.
Turks living abroad have already voted in record numbers.
Turnout was 86% in the 2018 presidential and parliamentary elections.
Voting Starts (8:00 a.m.)
Turks headed to the polls across the nation to elect a new president and members of the country’s 600-seat parliament. Among the 64 million people eligible to vote, around 5 million will be casting ballots for the first time.
Election Security (5:00 a.m.)
Turkey has deployed tens of thousands of policemen and paramilitary forces at voting stations as usual as a precaution ahead of the election.
Election Results (00:01 a.m.)
First election results will be aired after the country’s election watchdog lifts a broadcast ban, usually a few hours after polls close at 5 p.m. local time.
