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☆ Inflation-hit Germans are demanding a legal cap on the price of a doner kebab. They're not joking.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Mikhaila Friel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A German political party proposed a government cap on doner kebabs. Around €7 billion, or around $7.5 billion, worth of doner kebabs are sold every year in Germany, according to The Guardian and The Independent. The party plans to propose a government price cap of €4.90 (around $5.30) or €2.90 (around $3.10) for young people, The Guardian reported. If those decrease, then kebab prices also decrease," Gebel told BI. "The kebab price will remain high if the government does not change anything," she said.

Persons: Chancellor Scholz, —, Kathi, Gebel, Olaf Scholz, Virginia Mayo, Scholz, Putin … I'm Organizations: Guardian, Service, Independent, Left Party, AP, European Central Bank, Federal Statistical Office Locations: Germany, Brussels, Virginia

☆ Why a Brazilian UFC star is championing a dead Austrian economist
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-28 | by ( David Shortell | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

In recent years, the free-market economist and the contrarian Austrian school he led midcentury have been turned into a hashtag deployed by tax-wary workers. Ludwig von Mises From Mises Institute“Ludwig von Mises is Latin America’s leading economist,” declared the headline of a Bloomberg opinion piece earlier this month by economist Tyler Cowen. His free-market policy prescriptions, framed by an economic thinking centered on human behavior and individual choice, were widely considered out of fashion at the time. “That is my jam!” Shapiro said of the Austrian school. “If you start to understand the concept of the Austrian economic school,” Moicano said in a recent YouTube video, “you’re going to understand that’s what I need: free market, liberties, and wealth, my brother.

Persons: Renato Moicano, “, Ludwig von Mises, ” Moicano, Mises, midcentury, influencers, “ Ludwig von Mises, ”, Tyler Cowen, Marx, Camila Rocha, Moicano, Jair Bolsonaro, Javier Milei, Fabrice Coffrini, Milei, “ Milei, Daniel Raisbeck, Raisbeck, Milton Friedman, ” Mises, El, Nayib Bukele, Amanda Andrade, Rhoades, Rocha, Ben Shapiro, ” Shapiro, It’s, “ you’re Organizations: CNN — Brazilian UFC, Austrian, Mises, “, Bloomberg, New York University, Brazilian Center of Analysis, UFC, Economic, Cato Institute, Argentina national, Salvador, Conservative Political, Conference, Mises Institute, Mises Institutes, Fox Business, YouTube Locations: Austrian, United States, South, Central America, American, El Salvador, Argentina, Brazil, Davos, AFP, Milei, Buenos Aires, Mises, National Harbor , Maryland, Washington, Latin America

☆ Mexico Presidency Race Narrows Slightly, Sheinbaum Still Way Ahead -Poll
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - The race to become Mexico's next president has closed slightly, but former Mexico City mayor and ruling party candidate Claudia Sheinbaum still has double the support of her main opposition rival, an opinion poll showed on Monday. Samuel Garcia, who is competing for the candidacy of another center-left party, Citizens Movement (MC), polled 8% support. A poll published in early October had given Sheinbaum 50% support versus 20% for Galvez, although that survey included a fourth, right-wing candidate who did not feature this time. "With the entry of Samuel Garcia as sole MC contender, the presidential ballot has been practically set in stone," Buendia & Marquez head Jorge Buendia wrote in El Universal. Separately, an analysis of several polls by research firm Consulta Mitofsky which stripped out undecided voters and those not backing any candidate showed Sheinbaum with 62.7% of effective support.

Persons: Mexico's, Claudia Sheinbaum, pollster Buendia, Marquez, Xochitl Galvez, Galvez, Samuel Garcia, Sheinbaum, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Buendia, Jorge Buendia, Garcia, Raul Cortes, Sarah Morland, Dave Graham, Andrea Ricci Organizations: MEXICO CITY, Mexico City, El Universal, Sheinbaum, Regeneration, Citizens Movement Locations: MEXICO, Mexico

A constitutional court ruling on Nov. 15 against a budget manoeuvre to get around Germany's "debt brake" threw the financial plans of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition into disarray. "As I have long been saying, we must fear that the debt brake becomes ever more a brake on the future," said Berlin mayor Kai Wegner on social media platform X. "The debt brake was implemented when Europe had a debt sustainability issue and Germany wanted to lead by example," he said. "With the debt brake as it is, we have voluntarily tied our hands behind our backs and are going into a boxing match," he said. The Greens' campaign programme ahead of the last election included debt brake reform to allow for greater investments.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Robert Habeck, Christian Lindner, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's, Reiner Haseloff, Haseloff, Kai Wegner, Friedrich Merz, Carsten Brzeski, Roderich Kiesewetter, Stefan Marschall, Andreas Rinke, Sarah Marsh, Matthias Williams, Holger Hansen, Nick Macfie Organizations: Climate, Finance, BERLIN, U.S, Intel, Reuters, AAA, Christian Democratic Union, CDU, Christian Social Union, CSU, Berlin, Free Democrats, Social Democrats, Greens, ING, SPD, University of Duesseldorf, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Europe's, Ukraine, Saxony, Anhalt, United States, Bavarian, Federal, Germany, Europe, France, Italy, Spain, China

☆ Madrid streets barricaded ahead of tense Spanish investiture debate
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The amnesty deal with Catalan separatists has prompted a wave of protests across Spain. Authorities said 80,000 people gathered in Madrid on Sunday, while tens of thousands also attended demonstrations in Granada and Seville. Thousands have congregated each night for nearly a fortnight outside the Socialist Party (POSE) headquarters in Madrid. "We are Spaniards worried about Spain," said one young protester draped in a Spanish flag. The Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected an injunction by the far-right party Vox to suspend the investiture vote.

Persons: Sanchez, Pedro Sanchez's, Junts, Vox, Adolf Hitler, Esteban Gonzalez Pons, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, Belen Carreno, Miguel Gutierrez, Charlie Devereux, Aislinn Laing, Emelia Organizations: Spain's, Amnesty, Spain MADRID, Police, ERC, Sanchez’s Socialists, People's Party, Authorities, Sunday, Socialist Party, Eastern, European, Sanchez's Socialist Party, PSOE, Junts, Thomson Locations: Spain, Spain's, Madrid, Catalan, Granada, Seville, Spanish, Hungary, Romania

Pedro Nuno Santos poses for a portrait between the legislators of Socialist party and left bloc inside Portuguese parliament in Lisbon, Portugal June 21, 2016. The resignation also left Costa's job as secretary-general of the Socialist Party (PS) up for grabs, and whoever wins the leadership race will run for prime minister. Although Nuno Santos' popularity was hurt after he resigned in December 2022 in a scandal around a severance payout by state-owned airline TAP, he is seen as the front-runner by many. Nuno Santos successfully coordinated support for a previous minority government with the far-left in 2015-2019. Reporting by Catarina Demony and Sergio Goncalves; Editing by Andrei Khalip and Andrea RicciOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Pedro Nuno Santos, Rafael Marchante, Antonio Costa, illegalities, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, Jose Luis Carneiro, Carneiro, Nuno Santos, pollsters Aximage, Costa, Adelino Maltez, Costa's, Intercampus, Catarina Demony, Sergio Goncalves, Andrei Khalip, Andrea Ricci Organizations: Socialist, REUTERS, Rights, Socialist Party, Interior, TAP, Diario, Socialists, Social Democrats, Thomson Locations: Lisbon, Portugal, Rights LISBON, Portuguese

☆ How India’s Hindu nationalist BJP seeks Muslim vote in 2024 election
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Yp Rajesh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

Specifics of the BJP's Muslim outreach strategy, such as the messaging it is using to target voters in these seats, have not been previously reported. The campaign is part of a larger push to woo India's 200 million Muslims, with whom the BJP and Modi have a long and fraught history. ECONOMY-FIRST AND MUSLIM VOTERSThe BJP's website states that secularism in India has become "minority appeasement ... at the cost of majority". They shared details of internal party strategy on condition of anonymity. BJP leaders such as Islam, a former India head of Deutsche bank, said the opposition has taken Muslim votes for granted and neglected their welfare.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Modi, Nafis Ansari, Ansari, Jamal Siddiqui, Modi Mitrs, Syed Zafar Islam, Siddiqui, doesn't, Hilal Ahmed, Yasser Jilani, Ujir Hossain, Mohammed, Hossain, Hossain Dada, Qasim, Amana Begam Ansari, Critics, Ahmed, Ghanshyam Tiwari, Tiwari, Rupam Jain, Katerina Ang Organizations: Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, Rivals, Analysts, Indian, Reuters, Centre, Congress, Deutsche, Samajwadi Party, Thomson Locations: Balasinore, Indian, Ahmedabad, Madhya Pradesh, India, Delhi, West Bengal, BJP

☆ How Modi's BJP seeks Muslim vote in India's 2024 election
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Yp Rajesh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

☆ Sahra Wagenknecht’s New Party in Germany Reveals the Strange State of the Left - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( Christopher Caldwell | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

On Monday morning, Sahra Wagenknecht, the most charismatic politician in Germany’s Left party, led an uprising against it. The Left party descends from Communist East Germany’s old ruling party, which Ms. Wagenknecht joined in 1989, just before the fall of the Berlin Wall. To put it in crude American terms: It has become too woke for Ms. Wagenknecht. At a time of housing shortages and weak wage growth, the government’s unwillingness to stem the influx of economic migrants is “irresponsible,” Ms. Wagenknecht says. Ms. Wagenknecht faults her party not just for failing to oppose the government but also for bullying and belittling those citizens who do.

Persons: Sahra Wagenknecht, Wagenknecht, “, Ms Organizations: Left, Social Democrats, Greens Locations: Communist East, Germany’s, United States, Ukraine

☆ Germany's far-left star quits post-Communists to found populist party
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

German politician and member of the Bundestag for The Left party Sahra Wagenknecht attends a press conference to present the "Alliance Sahra Wagenknecht, BSW" in Berlin, Germany October 23, 2023. "Many no longer know who to vote for or vote for the right out of rage and despair," she said. "At a time of crisis.... Left legislators should concentrate on doing their job," said Left party leader Janine Wissler. That fragmentation has let the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party come second in several recent elections - drawing on a pool of voters the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance could also tap. A Civey poll for T-Online found some 20% of voters could imagine voting for her new party.

Persons: Sahra Wagenknecht, Annegret, Germany's, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's, Janine Wissler, Putin, Wagenknecht, Thomas Escritt, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Bundestag, The Left, REUTERS, Rights, Ukraine, Christian Democrats, Left, Sahra, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Germany, East Germany, Ukraine

☆ Leftist Upstart Threatens to Shake Up German Politics
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( Christopher F. Schuetze | More About Christopher F. Schuetze | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A significant new fissure opened on Monday, when one of the country’s most prominent leftist politicians, Sahra Wagenknecht, announced that she would form her own party, throwing up yet another wild card and challenging the political mainstream. Few Germans do not know Ms. Wagenknecht. A gifted orator, she has made something of a brand for herself with her biting criticism of the government and over-the-top political rhetoric. True to form, the association she founded with four others to build the party is named after herself: the Sahra Wagenknecht Coalition, or BSW in the German acronym, making it the first party in postwar Germany built entirely around one figurehead. Ms. Wagenknecht said the party would be a home for those who feel abandoned by mainstream politics, and stand for “reason and fairness.”

Persons: Sahra Wagenknecht, Wagenknecht, Die Linke, ” Organizations: Left, Die, Wagenknecht Coalition Locations: Germany

Partial results with two-thirds of the voting districts reporting their results also showed the opposition parties with a clear lead. The earlier results tend to come from rural areas and small towns, with large cities where opposition parties do better reporting their results later. The Ipsos poll showed that three centrist opposition parties that campaigned on a promise to reverse the illiberal drift of the government had together secured 249 seats in the 460-seat lower house of parliament, or Sejm, a clear majority. “No matter how you look at it, we won,” Law and Justice campaign manager Joachim Brudziński said Monday in an interview on RMF FM radio. Even if the opposition parties take power, they will face difficulties in putting forward their agenda.

Persons: Ipsos, Viktor Orbán, Robert Fico, “, Magdalena Chmieluk, ”, Douglas Wake, Jacek Kucharczyk, ” Kucharczyk, Mateusz Morawiecki, Joachim Brudziński, Andrzej Duda, Duda, haven't, Kamysz, Donald Tusk, Tusk, Elżbieta, Cezary Tomczyk, ” Tomczyk, Kucharczyk, Pietro De Cristofaro, Kwiyeon, Raf Casert Organizations: European Union, Law, Justice, Russia's, Organization for Security, Cooperation, Institute of Public Affairs, Associated Press, ”, RMF, Third Way, Civic Coalition, European, Third, EU Locations: WARSAW, Poland, Poland's, Ukraine, Wroclaw, EU, Brussels, Berlin, Hungary, Russia, Slovakia, Europe, Warsaw, Rome, Belarus

The FDP looked on track to fail to reach the 5% threshold to enter parliament in Bavaria, and possibly Hesse too. They and the AfD were the only parties to make gains in the Bavaria election. Still, coalition parties were likely to continue to follow increasingly separate paths to focus on issues relevant to their core electorate in response to the bad results, he said, while all taking a tougher stance on migration. "We must in the future better communicate SPD projects and be more visible," SPD lawmaker Sebastian Roloff told German outlet Handelsblatt. Reporting by Sarah Marsh; Editing by Nick Macfie, Ros Russell and Mark PorterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Chancellor Olaf Scholz's, Scholz, Thomas Kemmerich, Jens Spahn, Spahn, Nancy Faeser, Markus Soeder, Philipp Koeker, Sebastian Roloff, Sarah Marsh, Nick Macfie, Ros Russell, Mark Porter Organizations: Social Democrats, Greens, Free Democrats, Christian Democrats, CDU, ARD, Christian Social Union, CSU, DRUBBING, Free Voters, University of Hanover, Thomson Locations: Hesse, Bavaria, BERLIN, Germany, Ukraine, Frankfurt

☆ Germany mulls possible aid suspension to Palestinians after Hamas attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Israel supporters protest, following Hamas' biggest attack on Israel in years, next to the Brandenburg Gate, in Berlin, Germany, October 8, 2023. "We will now review our entire engagement for the Palestinian territories." But pushback came from the opposition Left party and the Greens, junior partner in the federal coalition. Hamas, and not all Palestinians, were responsible for the attack, said Gregor Gysi, a prominent member of the Left party. "These funds above all gave suffering people in the Palestinian territories access to food provisions and health care."

Persons: Israel, Liesa, Svenja Schulze, Armin Laschet, Mahmoud Abbas, pushback, Gregor Gysi, Luise Amtsberg, Markus Wacket, Sarah Marsh, Ros Russell, Bernadette Baum Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Palestinian, Hamas, . Development, Social Democrats, West Bank, Left, Greens, Palestinian Authority, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Israel, Brandenburg, Berlin, Germany, Palestinian, Europe

☆ Factbox-New Zealand Election Shapes up as a Race of Many Parties
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

Here are the key parties and potential combinations that may emerge from the Oct. 14 general election. LIKELY BEDFELLOWS: LABOUR AND GREENSPrime Minister Chris Hipkins has headed the Labour Party since Jacinda Ardern abruptly resigned in January. But with Labour trailing the centre-right National Party 28%-39% in the latest opinion poll, it looks unlikely Hipkins can hold onto power alone. POTENTIAL KINGMAKERSWinston Peters and his populist New Zealand First party are campaigning with slogans such as "Let’s take the country back." In the past it supported a National government, but Luxon has said he would not work with the Maori party.

Persons: Chris Hipkins, Jacinda Ardern, Hipkins, Christopher Luxon, KINGMAKERS Winston Peters, Pati, Luxon, Lucy Craymer, William Mallard Organizations: Reuters, Zealanders, LABOUR, GREENS, Labour Party, Labour, National, Green Party, Greens, ACT, ZEALAND, ACT New Zealand, Air New Zealand, New Zealand

☆ Spain soccer: Rubiales' apology over unsolicited kiss not enough - PM Sanchez
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The incident - which happened as Luis Rubiales handed the women's team gold medals after they beat England 1-0 in the final on Sunday - sparked outrage within and outside Spain, with many, including ministers, demanding Rubiales' resignation. "We've seen his apology and that's not enough, he must be much clearer and convincing in apologising," Sanchez told a news conference. Sanchez said the federation was not part of the Spanish government, which lacked the power to appoint or fire the federation's president. As criticism mounted, Rubiales issued a video apology late on Monday, after initially calling critics "idiots". "Surely I was wrong, I have to admit," Rubiales said in the video statement sent by the federation.

Persons: Pedro Sanchez, Royal Spanish Football Federation Luis Rubiales, Juan Medina, Jenni Hermoso, Luis Rubiales, Rubiales, We've, that's, Sanchez, Hermoso's, Inti Landauro, David Latona, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Soccer Football, FIFA, Spain's, Moncloa, Royal Spanish Football Federation, Rights, England, YouTube, Equality Ministry, Thomson Locations: New Zealand, Madrid, Spain, Spanish

☆ Spain's acting PM Sanchez says he will seek investiture vote
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

"I will ask for parliament's confidence to form a progressive government," Sanchez said in a address to the legislators of his Socialist Party. He said his party, which won the second-highest number of votes in the general election held last month, will first seek to clinch the lower house speaker position on Thursday. Sanchez, who first took power in 2018, has ruled since early 2020 thanks to a minority coalition with a far-left party. The conservative People's Party won more seats than the Socialists, but did not secure an outright majority and faces an uphill battle as it so far lacks enough support to form a government, as does Sanchez. Reporting by Inti Landauro, editing by Andrei Khalip; Editing by Sharon SingletonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Pedro Sanchez, Violeta Santos Moura, Sanchez, Inti Landauro, Andrei Khalip, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Spain's, Socialist Party, PSOE, Rights, People's Party, Socialists, Thomson Locations: Getafe, Spain

CNN —Amsterdam’s city council has approved a proposal banning “polluting” cruise ships as part of the city’s latest move to clamp down on overtourism. A spokesperson for Amsterdam Deputy Mayor Hester van Buren, who has responsibility for the city’s port, told CNN that the council approved a proposal on Thursday to close the city’s cruise ship terminal. The ban on "polluting" cruise ships is just one of many moves by Amsterdam to limit the effects of overtourism. D66 party chairwoman Ilana Rooderkerk emphasized in the statement that “polluting cruise ships do not fit with the sustainable ambitions” of Amsterdam. “Cruise ships in the heart of the city do not fit into Amsterdam’s goal of reducing the number of tourists,” Rooderkerk added.

Persons: Hester van Buren, van Buren’s, Ilana Rooderkerk, “, ” Rooderkerk Organizations: CNN Locations: Amsterdam’s, Amsterdam, Balance

☆ Mexican president's fiery barbs fuel maverick rival's campaign
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Dave Graham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Neither the president's office nor Galvez, who represents the center-right National Action Party (PAN), replied to requests for comment. Lopez Obrador has sought to break this narrative by branding Galvez a millionaire, said Roy Campos, Mitofsky's director. The authority this week ordered Lopez Obrador to remain neutral and abstain from election comments. Under Fox's government, Congress in 2005 stripped Lopez Obrador of immunity from prosecution over a minor land dispute. She urged her party to avoid resorting to tactics used against Lopez Obrador in the past.

Persons: Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's, Xochitl Galvez, Lopez Obrador, Galvez, Alfa Gonzalez, pugnacious Lopez Obrador, Lopez, Consulta Mitofsky, Claudia Sheinbaum, Marcelo Ebrard, Roy Campos, Gabriel Islas, Beatriz Vazquez, Vicente Fox, Fox, Andres Manuel, Lorena Villavicencio, Sheinbaum, Dave Graham, Susan Heavey Organizations: Isla de, REUTERS, MEXICO CITY, Party of, Democratic Revolution, Action Party, PAN, Regeneration, Mexico City, Institutional Revolutionary Party, Congress, Thomson Locations: Isla, Isla de Cedros, Mulege, Mexico, MEXICO, derailing, MORENA, Spanish, Mexican

His case on Thursday was adjourned to Nov. 30 and the trial is set to hang over the opposition as it tries to regroup and rally disheartened voters ahead of local elections in March. At the same time, calls have grown louder for the opposition's defeated presidential candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu to resign as chairman of Imamoglu's Republican People's Party (CHP). Tanju Tosun, political science professor at Ege University, said the CHP's internal politics could overshadow its preparations for next year's local elections. "If the internal rifts within the CHP continues until local elections, candidates from the ruling AK Party (AKP) could defeat opposition candidates in many cities," he said. "YSP may field candidates (in Istanbul and Ankara)," Meral Danis Bestas, a senior YSP official, said.

Persons: Imamoglu, Tayyip Erdogan, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, Erdogan, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, Kilicdaroglu, Tanju Tosun, Kemal Polat, Polat, We've, Ali Kucukgocmen, Huseyin Hayatsever, Daren Butler, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Istanbul Mayor, opposition's, Republican People's Party, Ege University, CHP, AK Party, Council of State, IYI Party, IYI, Left, Thomson Locations: Istanbul, ISTANBUL, Beylikduzu, Balikesir, Denizli, Kurdish, Ankara

☆ Erdogan survived the biggest test of his political career. What’s next?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Official results showed Erdogan winning with 52.1% of the vote, while opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu emerged with 47.9%. Murat Somer, a political science professor at Koc University in Istanbul, expects a hardened approach by Erdogan towards the opposition and his critics. “[Erdogan is] likely to continue his unorthodox economic policies because these actually serve his interests,” Somer told CNN. Becky Anderson's full interview with Turkish President Erdogan 20:52 - Source: CNNKorhan Kocak, an assistant professor of political science at New York University Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, worries about Erdogan’s moves after the election. And Erdogan is the man that delivered that to them.”Cagaptay said that Erdogan’s foreign policy is unlikely to change.

Kilicdaroglu, chair of the secularist Republican People's Party (CHP), received 44.9% in what was seen as the biggest electoral challenge to Erdogan's 20-year rule. A third candidate, nationalist Sinan Ogan, obtained 5.17% and both Erdogan and Kilicdaroglu are expected to seek his endorsement in negotiations this week. Turkey hosts the world's largest refugee population of around 4 million, according to official figures. Supporters of Kemal Kilicdaroglu, presidential candidate of Turkey's main opposition alliance, rally outside the Republican People's Party (CHP) headquarters on election night in Ankara, Turkey May 14, 2023. In Wednesday's video, Kilicdaroglu also accused Erdogan of cooperating with the network Ankara accuses of orchestrating a 2016 coup attempt.

Erdogan got 49.5% in Sunday's vote and fell just short of the majority needed to avoid a runoff in a vote seen as a referendum on his autocratic rule. But many of his supporters, including first-time voter Asim, were gloomy about Kilicdaroglu's chances in the runoff vote. The election is being closely followed in Washington, Europe and across the region, where Erdogan has asserted Turkish power. Opinion polls had shown Erdogan trailing Kilicdaroglu, but Sunday's outcome suggested he and his Islamist-rooted AKP were able to rally conservative voters despite Turkey's economic woes. Kilicdaroglu and his alliance want to restore a parliamentary system of government and scrap the powerful executive presidency introduced by Erdogan.

But for the next two weeks, he may become the most important figure in Turkish politics, potentially deciding President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s political fate. Preliminary results from the YSK showed Erdogan as having received 49.51% of the vote, while Kilicdaroglu had 44.88%. Ogan, the third candidate, received 5.17%, enough to swing the runoff vote in favor of either of the candidates. But his political career began with the far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), where he spent six years before splitting with it, partly due to its growing closeness with Erdogan’s AK Party, according to Turkish media. Formerly in the opposition, the MHP joined the People Alliance that is led by Erdogan’s AK Party in this election.

[1/5] Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan greets supporters at the AK Party headquarters in Ankara, Turkey May 15, 2023. His six-party alliance did not attract as many nationalist voters as expected, partly due to support for Kilicdaroglu's candidacy from a large pro-Kurdish party, the officials said. Both Erdogan and Kilicdaroglu are expected to meet Ogan in person in the coming days. Given their conservative views, Erdogan and Ogan are seen as easier allies, even though the president's alliance includes a small Islamist Kurdish party that Ogan also opposes. "His motto will be: if you vote for Kilicdaroglu he will be a lame duck," said another senior opposition official who acknowledged a tough road ahead.

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