Röstningen i Turkiet inleds – deltagandet spås bli högt

Presidential elections are being held in Turkey in May 2023, alongside parliamentary elections, to elect a president for a term of five years. It marks the first time a Turkish presidential election has gone to a run-off.The election had originally been scheduled to take place on 18 June, but the government moved them forward by a month to avoid coinciding with the university exams, the Hajj pilgrimage and the start of the summer holidays. It is estimated that a total of 64 million voters have the right to cast their votes in elections, 60.9 million in Turkey and 3.2 million abroad.Incumbent president Erdoğan of the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) ran for re-election as the joint candidate of the People's Alliance, which includes the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and two other smaller parties. The Nation Alliance, composed of six opposition parties including the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), fielded CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu as its presidential candidate. Though not part of the alliance, the pro-Kurdish Party of Greens and the Left Future (YSGP) and the Labour and Freedom Alliance (of which it is a member) endorsed Kılıçdaroğlu. Two other minor candidates, namely Homeland Party leader Muharrem İnce and anti-immigration ultranationalist Ancestral Alliance nominee Sinan Oğan, also reached the required 100,000 signatures to stand; however, three days before the election, İnce withdrew from the election citing consistent slander and smear campaigns against him by rival candidates, though he still appeared on ballots.The main campaign issues revolved around the deadly February 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake, which left over 50,000 people dead and threatened to postpone the election date. The government was criticised for its slow response to the earthquake and land amnesties prior to it that critics claimed left buildings more vulnerable. The economy also featured prominently due to the rapidly rising cost of living. In most polls, voters identified the economy as their prime area of concern.In the first round, Erdoğan and Oğan outperformed expectations to receive 49.5% and 5.2% of the vote respectively. Meanwhile, Kılıçdaroğlu won 44.9%, while Muharrem İnce (who remained on the ballot despite withdrawing) received 0.4%. Since Erdoğan's vote share was 0.5% short of winning outright, he and Kılıçdaroğlu will contest a run-off vote on 28 May. Oğan endorsed Erdoğan, causing a split with the Ancestral Alliance, as Victory Party leader Ümit Özdağ – the leader of the alliance's largest party – endorsed Kılıçdaroğlu.