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☆ Turkey's inflation climbs to 68.5% despite continued rate hikes
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Cagla Gurdogan | ReutersTurkey's annual inflation rose to 68.5% for the month of March, an increase on February's 67.1% inflation read, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute's report released Wednesday. Turkey has launched a concerted effort to tackle soaring inflation with interest rate hikes, most recently raising the country's key rate from 45% to 50% in late March. watch nowMuch of the inflation in recent months stems from a significant increase to the minimum wage that Turkey's government mandated for 2024. Economists expect further rate hikes from the central bank will be necessary. Turkey's central bank implemented eight consecutive interest rate hikes from June 2023 to January 2024, totaling a cumulative 3,650 basis points.

Persons: Cagla Gurdogan, Nicholas Farr, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, Umit Bektas Organizations: Reuters, Economics, Istanbul Mayor, Republican People's Party Locations: Ankara, Turkey, Europe, London, Istanbul Metropolitan, Istanbul

☆ Turkey's local elections — and whoever wins Istanbul — could dictate the future of the country
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-29 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

As the sunsets, a ferry boat glides across the waters of the Golden Horn with the Suleymaniye Mosque and the city of Istanbul, Turkey in the background. Vw Pics | Universal Images Group | Getty ImagesTurkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan once said that whoever wins Istanbul wins Turkey. This is odd but also shows how important it is to win Istanbul," Tunca said. Major Turkish cities like Istanbul and the capital Ankara will be key races to watch. Istanbul Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu speaks at the 19 May Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day celebrations held at the Maltepe Event Area on May 19, 2023 on Istanbul, Turkey.

Persons: Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Imamoglu, Erdogan, People's Party's, Murat Kurum, Arda Tunca, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Tayyip Erdogan, Umit Bektas, Tunca, Kristin Ronzi, RANE, Erdogan's, Ekrem İmamoğlu, Hakan Akgun, Turkey's, Ronzi Organizations: Getty, Istanbul, sympathizing, Development Party, AK Party, Imamoglu, AK, CNBC, European Union, NATO, Reuters, Party, Imamoglu's CHP, Turkey's, CHP Locations: Istanbul, Turkey, Ukraine, Russia, Arab, Turkish, Ankara, East, North Africa

The top appeals court, or Yargitay, took the unprecedented step of making a criminal complaint against Constitutional Court judges on Wednesday, arguing that their ruling last month in favour of releasing Atalay was unconstitutional. "The Court of Cassation (Yargitay) has committed a crime by not recognising the Constitutional Court decision. He called for compliance with the Constitutional Court ruling and said the Yargitay appeals court judges should be put under investigation. The Istanbul Bar Association said on Thursday it had filed a criminal complaint against the Yargitay judges involved in the case on the grounds of misconduct and "depriving a person of liberty". Rule of law, predictability and trust are fundamental for investors and Turkey’s record in this front was and still is miserable."

Persons: Erkan, Sera Kadigil, Ahmet Sik, Umit, Osman, Tayyip Erdogan, Ozgur Urfa, Erdogan, Mehmet Ucum, Mehmet Simsek, Central Bank Governor Hafize Gaye Erkan, Wolfango Piccoli, Daren Butler, Alex Richardson Organizations: Workers ' Party of Turkey, Turkish, REUTERS, Rights, Constitutional, Cassation, Twitter, Istanbul Bar Association, Central Bank Governor, Ece, Thomson Locations: Ankara, Turkey, Rights ANKARA, Istanbul

Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu attends a swearing-in ceremony as he is accompanied by Ozgur Ozel at the Turkish parliament in Ankara, Turkey, June 2, 2023. REUTERS/Umit Bektas/file photo Acquire Licensing RightsANKARA, Nov 4 (Reuters) - Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) on Sunday elected Ozgur Ozel as its new leader, ending a 13-year term for incumbent Kemal Kilicdaroglu, as the country gears up for local elections next March. Ozel, 49, has been serving as the CHP's deputy parliamentary group chairman since 2015 and has been a lawmaker since 2011. Ozel, a pharmacist by trade, received 812 of 1,366 possible votes at a tense, hours-long party congress in Ankara that took two rounds. Imamoglu supported Ozel in a push for change at the CHP that has long been bogged down by in-fighting.

Persons: Kemal Kilicdaroglu, Ozgur Ozel, Umit, Tayyip Erdogan, Ozel, Kilicdaroglu, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, Imamoglu, Erdogan, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, Ozer Sencar, pollster Metropoll, Sencar, Daniel Wallis, Hugh Lawson, David Evans Organizations: Republican People's Party, Turkish, REUTERS, Rights, Sunday, Istanbul Mayor, CHP, Thomson Locations: Ankara, Turkey, Rights ANKARA, Ozel, Istanbul, Black Sea, Rize, Turkey's

Palestinian officials said the blast at Al-Ahli al-Arabi hospital was caused by an Israeli air strike. Israel blamed the blast on a failed rocket launch by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group, which denied responsibility. Following the NSC's appeal, Israeli airlines arranged flights from Istanbul late on Wednesday for Israelis who want to leave Turkey. Protesters held fresh demonstrations near consulates of Israel and the United States in Istanbul on Wednesday evening. Political analysts said the Gaza hospital blast could have dire consequences for ties between Israel and Turkey.

Persons: Dilara, Israel, Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan, Mert Ozkan, Huseyin Hayatsever, Daren Butler, Ali Kucukgocmen, Umit Bektas, Mehmet Emin Caliskan, Steven Scheer, Gareth Jones, Sandra Maler Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Islamic, National Security Council, Istanbul, Police, Protesters, U.S, Embassy, NATO, Ece Toksabay, Bulent Usta, Thomson Locations: Al, Ahli, Gaza, Istanbul, Turkey, Rights ANKARA, Israel, Arabi, Ankara, Police, Turkey's, United States, U.S, Adana, Teneo, Jerusalem

☆ Global economic losses from extreme weather could hit $5 trln -Lloyd's
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Lloyd's, which carried out the research alongside the Cambridge Centre for Risk Studies, stressed that its "systemic risk scenario", which models the global economic impact of extreme weather, was hypothetical. But it said the work would improve business and policymaker understanding of their exposure to critical threats such as extreme weather. When adjusting the estimated $5 trillion in losses over a five-year period for the probability of those extreme weather events occurring, the expected global economic losses were $711 billion, Lloyd's said. Lloyd's modelled global economic losses of extreme weather events by estimating the impact of food and water shocks on global gross domestic product over a five-year period. The Caribbean region would lose 19% of its GDP over five years if the extreme weather events were concentrated there, Lloyd's estimated.

Persons: Umit, Lloyd's, Trevor Maynard, Tommy Reggiori Wilkes, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: REUTERS, Cambridge Centre, Risk, Thomson Locations: Turkey's, Istanbul, Turkey, London, Greater China, Caribbean

☆ U.S. caver rescued in Turkey "blessed to be alive", but vows to keep caving
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

U.S. caver Mark Dickey, on a stretcher, is carried out of the Morca cave as his rescue operation comes to a successful end near Anamur in Mersin province, southern Turkey September 12, 2023. REUTERS/Umit Bektas/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsISTANBUL, Sept 14 (Reuters) - An American caver rescued after being trapped underground in southern Turkey for 11 days said on Thursday he was blessed to be alive after suffering a gastrointestinal bleed while 1,040 metres deep - but that he would go on exploring caves. Mark Dickey, 40, was rescued early on Tuesday after being trapped in the Morca cave in Mersin province's Taurus Mountains. More than 150 cave rescuers from Turkey, Croatia, Italy and other countries worked to rescue Dickey from Turkey's third-deepest cave, and Dickey said he had never lost hope. "Will I go back to Morca cave?

Persons: caver Mark Dickey, Umit, Mark Dickey, It's, Dickey, Will, Ali Kucukgocmen, Daren Butler, Kevin Liffey Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Mersin City Hospital, Thomson Locations: Anamur, Mersin province, Turkey, Rights ISTANBUL, American, Mersin, Croatia, Italy, Turkey's

☆ In pictures: US caver rescued from 1,000 metres deep cave in Turkey
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

[9/22]Rescuers descend to the entrance of Morca Cave as they take part in a rescue operation to reach U.S. caver Mark Dickey who fell ill and became trapped some 1,000 meters (3,280 ft) underground, near Anamur in Mersin province, southern Turkey September 10. REUTERS/Umit BektasMERSIN, Turkey

Persons: caver Mark Dickey Organizations: REUTERS Locations: Anamur, Mersin province, Turkey, Umit, MERSIN

☆ US caver who became trapped 1,000 metres deep in Turkey is moved halfway to surface
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Umit Bektas Acquire Licensing RightsMERSIN, Turkey, Sept 10 (Reuters) - Rescuers raced on Sunday to rescue an American caver who had become trapped more than 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) underground in southern Turkey, moving him halfway to the surface. More than 150 rescuers from Turkey and other countries have been working for days to rescue him from the country's third deepest cave. "Our medical team is working really hard to try to keep Mark's condition as stable as possible. Since yesterday, we started lifting the stretcher and transporting him through the cave," Giuseppe Conti, European Cave Rescue Association technical commission chairperson, told reporters. Mark's medical condition right now is very good," said Tulga Sener, medical coordinator for the cave rescue commission.

Persons: caver Mark Dickey, Umit, Mark Dickey, Giuseppe Conti, Mark, Jessica Van Ord, Tulga Sener, Cenk, Dickey, Ali Kucukgocmen, Huseyin Hayatsever, Giles Elgood Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Rescue Association, Bulent Usta, Thomson Locations: Anamur, Mersin province, Turkey, Rights MERSIN, American, Mersin, Cenk Yildiz

☆ Turkey's Erdogan says to discuss grain deal with UN's Guterres this month
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Umit Bektas/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsANKARA, Sept 5 (Reuters) - President Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey is in close contact with the United Nations on reviving the Black Sea grain initiative and he will discuss it with Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at its general assembly this month, Turkish media reported. Speaking to reporters after talks in Russia with Vladimir Putin, Erdogan was quoted as saying the latest U.N. proposal sought to address some Russian demands, and he repeated he believed a solution could be found soon. NATO member Turkey is seeking to convince Russia to return to the so-called Black Sea Grain Initiative, brokered by Ankara and the United Nations. Erdogan will participate in the G20 summit in India on Sept. 9-10 before attending the U.N. General Assembly in New York on Sept. 18-26. "We will have meetings with Guterres there to discuss these issues," Erdogan was cited as saying.

Persons: Umit, Tayyip Erdogan, Antonio Guterres, Vladimir Putin, Erdogan, General Guterres, SWIFT, Putin, Daren Butler, Jonathan Spicer Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, United Nations, Agricultural Bank, TRT, Haberturk, NATO, Initiative, Moscow, General Assembly, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Izmit, Kocaeli province, Turkey, Rights ANKARA, Russia, Moscow, Europe, Ankara, India, New York

☆ I'm a personal finance expert. These are the most common mistakes car buyers make.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Alexa St. John | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Stefanie O'Connell Rodriguez is personal finance expert with some tips for car buyers. I don't think we're in a pre-COVID market yet, but the data shows us it is getting a little bit better slowly. Car buyers should factor maintenance into their total cost of vehicle ownership. Reuters/Umit BektasThere are unexpected expenses with car ownership — but there's also a lot you can predictThat's especially true if you're doing your research in advance. If you're going to be financing, think about doing your due diligence even further of comparing the cost of ownership of different vehicles.

Persons: Stefanie O'Connell Rodriguez, Here's O'Connell, O'Connell Rodriguez, Kelly, there's, Joshua Lott, Mario Tama Organizations: Morning, Bloomberg, Newsweek, USA, Dealers, Reuters Locations: New York

Turkey's Central Bank headquarters is seen in Ankara, Turkey in this January 24, 2014 file photo. Yet five foreign investors told Reuters that this week's rate hike signalled a new independence among policymakers who are serious about addressing unrelenting pressure on the currency and reining in inflation expectations. "It feels like they are correcting the mistakes they made with their first rate hike decisions," said Viktor Szabo, portfolio manager at abrdn in London. Erdogan, who has fired four central bank chiefs in four years, has said little about the rate hikes. Reuters GraphicsTurkish stock, Eurobond and CDS markets are more attractive targets this year and next, especially after the rate hike, investors and officials say.

Persons: Umit, Erdogan's unorthodoxy, Mehmet Simsek, Goldman Sachs, Tayyip Erdogan's, Viktor Szabo, Ola El, Van Eck, ERDOGAN, Erdogan, Simsek, Hafize Gaye Erkan, Cevdet Yilmaz, Blaise Antin, TCW, Kaan, Neuberger Berman, Jonathan Spicer, Marc Jones, Jorgelina, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Turkey's Central Bank, Finance, Goldman, Reuters, abrdn, Emerging Markets, Wall Street, JPMorgan, Reuters Graphics, CDS, Yeni, United Nations, International Monetary Fund, Thomson Locations: Ankara, Turkey, ANKARA, LONDON, New York, London, Van, Los Angeles, Reuters Graphics Turkish, Yeni Safak, Morocco, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Istanbul, Rosario

Analysts said it tests President Tayyip Erdogan's resolve to maintain good relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom he has invited to Turkey this month to discuss resuming the UN-brokered deal that had protected grain exports from Ukraine. "Ankara's silence is strange but shows it is still counting on Putin to visit and return to the grain deal." It wants the West to accept some Russian demands, and for Russia to drop others, to restart Ukraine grain exports under UN and Turkish oversight. A Turkish defence ministry official, requesting anonymity, said Ankara was looking into the Black Sea raid but gave no more details. "Therefore Erdogan should negotiate and try to convince Western countries, not Putin, for the reinstatement of the grain deal," he said.

Persons: Mehmet Bey, Umit, Erdogan, Putin, NATO's, Tayyip Erdogan's, Vladimir Putin, Yoruk Isik, Grynspan, Sezer, Huseyin Hayatsever, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Coordination Centre, REUTERS, Ankara, Analysts, UN, Bosphorus Observer, United Nations Conference, Trade, Development, Thomson Locations: Yenikapi, Istanbul, Turkey, ISTANBUL, Ukraine, NATO, Moscow, Russia, Ankara, Odesa, Turkish, Palau, Russian

☆ UK announces deal with Turkey to tackle flow of illegal migrants
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Umit BektasLONDON, Aug 8 (Reuters) - Britain said it had struck a deal with Turkey in a bid to slow the flow of illegal immigrants passing through the Mediterranean country on their way to Europe, including joint police operations against smuggler rings and the trade in boat parts. Customs data would be exchanged more quickly under the new memorandum of understanding, the British government said in a statement on Tuesday. "Our partnership with Turkey, a close friend and ally, will enable our law enforcement agencies to work together on this international problem and tackle the small boat supply chain," interior minister Suella Braverman said. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak made cutting the numbers of illegal migrants arriving in Britain a key pledge for this year as he tried to narrow the wide lead of the opposition Labour Party in opinion polls. Writing by William Schomberg; Editing by Alex RichardsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Suella Braverman, Rishi Sunak, William Schomberg, Alex Richardson Organizations: Turkish Coast Guard, REUTERS, British, Labour Party, Thomson Locations: Lesbos, Canakkale, Turkey, Britain, Europe, Turkish

☆ Turkey's Erdogan appoints three deputy governors to central bank
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan addresses supporters at the Presidential Palace after his victory in the second round of the presidential election, Ankara, Turkey, May 29, 2023. REUTERS/Umit Bektas/File PhotoISTANBUL, July 28 (Reuters) - Turkish's President Tayyip Erdogan named three deputy governors to the central bank, the country's official gazette said early on Friday, hours after the bank vowed to continue gradual monetary tightening and raised its end-2023 inflation forecast. Osman Cevdet Akcay, Fatih Karahan and Hatice Karahan were appointed as deputy central bank governors, according to a decision published in the official gazette. On Thursday, Turkey's central bank raised its end-2023 inflation forecast sharply to 58% and said it would continue monetary tightening. In what is seen as a pivot to economic orthodoxy, Erdogan appointed Mehmet Simsek as finance minister and Erkan as central bank governor shortly after his re-election in May.

Persons: Tayyip Erdogan, Umit, Osman Cevdet Akcay, Fatih Karahan, Hatice Karahan, Yapi, Hafize Gaye Erkan, Erdogan, Mehmet Simsek, Emrah Sener, Taha Cakmak, Mustafa Duman, Ezgi Erkoyun, Leslie Adler, Jamie Freed Organizations: REUTERS, Federal Reserve Bank of New, Amazon, Thomson Locations: Ankara, Turkey, ISTANBUL, Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Turkey's

☆ Exclusive: Islamists wield hidden hand in Sudan conflict, military sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Khalid Abdelaziz | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Yet the three military sources and an intelligence source said thousands of Islamists were battling alongside the army. Reuters spoke to 10 sources for this article, including military and intelligence sources and several Islamists. The army accused the RSF of promoting Islamists and former regime loyalists in their top ranks, a charge the RSF denied. Nowadays, former NISS officers also help the military by collecting intelligence on its enemies in the latest conflict. The NISS was replaced by the General Intelligence Service (GIS) after Bashir was toppled, and stripped of its armed "operations" unit, according to a constitutional agreement.

Persons: General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, Umit, Bashir, Omar al, Osama bin Laden, Mohammed al, Fadl, Ali Karti, Abdel Fattah Burhan, Burhan, Reuters Graphics BASHIR, Hemedti, Bashir loyalists, Michael Georgy, Aidan Lewis, William Maclean Organizations: Rapid Support Forces, REUTERS, Army, DUBAI, West, Reuters, Sudanese, National Intelligence and Security Service, National, Party, United Arab Emirates, General Intelligence Service, Reuters Graphics, Central Reserve Police, Publicly, Thomson Locations: Aprag, Khartoum, Sudan, Darfur, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahri

Erdogan spoke as officials from Turkey, Sweden, Finland and NATO met on Wednesday in Ankara for talks to try to overcome Turkish objections holding up Sweden's NATO membership bid. The parties agreed to continue working on the "prospective concrete steps" for Sweden's NATO membership, the statement said. In justifying its objections to Swedish membership, Turkey has accused Stockholm of harbouring members of Kurdish militant groups it considers to be terrorists. While he was having talks with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg earlier this month, a similar protest was held in Stockholm, Erdogan said. He added that he also told Stoltenberg Sweden should prevent such actions to secure Turkey's approval for its NATO membership.

Persons: Tayyip Erdogan, Umit, Erdogan, Oscar Stenstrom, Stenstrom, Jens Stoltenberg, Stoltenberg, Huseyin Hayatsever, Simon Johnson, Johan Ahlander, Niklas Pollard, Daren Butler, Nick Macfie, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: REUTERS, NATO, Wednesday, Turkish, Atlantic Treaty Organization, Kurdistan Workers Party, European Union, Ece Toksabay, Thomson Locations: Ankara, Turkey, ANKARA, Sweden, Stockholm, Azerbaijan, Finland, Madrid, Ukraine, Hungary, extraditions, Stoltenberg Sweden, Vilnius

☆ Manchester City wins Champions League for first time, beating Inter Milan 1-0 in tense Istanbul final
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-10 | by ( Aimee Lewis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

This was not only a night when City won its first Champions League. In beating three-time champion Inter, Pep Guardiola’s side became only the second English team to achieve the treble, winning the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League in the same season. Rodri pictured scoring the winner which secured City the Champions League trophy. Manchester City has won the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League this season. Will City dominate the Champions League like it has the Premier League?

Persons: Manchester City’s, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Pep, Alex Ferguson, Shaun Botterill, Bernardo Silva, Erling Haaland, André Onana, Nicolò Barella, Ederson, Rodri, Federico Dimarco’s, Romelu Lukaku, Catherine Ivill, Sheikh Mansour –, –, ” Guardiola, Guardiola, “, ”, Martin Rickett, Abu, Umit Bektas, Jack Grealish, I’ve Organizations: CNN, Manchester, Abu Dhabi United Group, Champions League, Inter Milan, City, Inter, Premier League, FA, Manchester United, City . Manchester City, League, Monaco, Tottenham, Real Madrid, BT Sport, Inter’s, Etihad, Reuters Locations: Istanbul, Europe, City . Manchester, Liverpool, Lyon, Chelsea, Manchester City, Abu Dhabi, Will City, Barcelona

[1/3] A Turkish Air Force F-16 fighter jet ( C foreground) is seen between U.S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II fighter jets at Incirlik airbase in the southern city of Adana, Turkey, December 11, 2015. "Now what's important is how does Erdogan want to move into the future with Turkey. NATO member Turkey requested in October 2021 to buy $20 billion of Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) F-16 fighters and nearly 80 modernization kits for its existing warplanes. President Joe Biden's administration has said it supports the sale and has been in touch for months with Congress to win its approval. Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Turkey on Tuesday to immediately finalize Sweden's accession to NATO, and rejected the suggestion that the Biden administration is linking Turkey's approval of Sweden's NATO accession to the F-16 sale.

Persons: Bektas, Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan, he's, Bob Menendez, we've, I've, Menendez, Joe Biden's, Biden, Washington, Sweden's, Antony Blinken, Blinken, Patricia Zengerle, Stephen Coates Organizations: Turkish Air Force, . Air Force, REUTERS, NATO, Senate Foreign Relations, Turkey, Lockheed Martin Corp, House Foreign, Thomson Locations: Adana, Turkey, Bektas WASHINGTON, Turkish, Sweden, Ankara

The exchange took place when Biden called Erdogan to congratulate him on his victory in Turkey's presidential election on Sunday. And so we'll be back in touch with one another," Biden told reporters before departing the White House for Delaware. Bids for NATO membership must be approved by all NATO members. A Turkish Air Force F16 jet lands at a new airport under construction in Istanbul, Turkey September 22, 2018. Sweden and Finland applied for NATO membership last year, ditching long-held policies of military non-alignment following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

☆ Erdogan seeks new term in Turkey runoff election
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( Tamara Qiblawi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Polls have opened in Turkey’s presidential runoff as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan fights for a historic third term on Sunday. Erdogan is going head-to-head with opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu, a 74-year-old bureaucrat and leader of the left-leaning CHP. In the first round of voting on May 14, Erdogan secured a nearly five-point lead over Kilicdaroglu but fell short of the 50% threshold needed to win. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan speaks at the AK Party headquarters in Ankara, Turkey May 15, 2023. Umit Bektas/ReutersSix opposition groups had formed an unprecedented unified bloc behind Kilicdaroglu to try to wrest power from Erdogan.

But he fell just short of the 50% needed to avoid a runoff, in a race with profound consequences for Turkey itself and global geopolitics. His camp has struggled to regain momentum after the shock of trailing Erdogan in the first round. A closely-watched survey by pollster Konda for the runoff put support for Erdogan on 52.7% and Kilicdaroglu on 47.3% after distributing undecided voters. [1/5] Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan attends a rally, ahead of the May 28 presidential runoff vote, in Istanbul, Turkey May 27, 2023. Erdogan has fused religious and national pride, offering voters an aggressive anti-elitism," said Nicholas Danforth, Turkey historian and non-resident fellow at think tank ELIAMEP.

☆ Turkey's Erdogan urges voters to turn out, rival sees 'last exit'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-27 | by ( Ezgi Erkoyun | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/6] Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan attends a rally, ahead of the May 28 presidential runoff vote, in Istanbul, Turkey May 27, 2023. The two candidates are aiming to attract some 8 million voters who did not go to the polls in the first round. Erdogan got a boost earlier this week when Sinan Ogan - a nationalist politician who came third with 5.2% - endorsed him. Kilicdaroglu, who is chair of Turkey's biggest opposition party, the CHP, meanwhile secured the endorsement of the anti-immigrant Victory Party for the runoff. Polls will open at 8 a.m. (0500 GMT) and close at 5 p.m. (1400 GMT) for more than 60 million voters.

☆ Turkey election 2023: What's at stake in the runoff?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The election takes place three months after earthquakes in southeast Turkey killed more than 50,000 people. WHAT'S AT STAKE FOR TURKEY ... [1/2] People walk next to posters of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, ahead of the May 28 presidential runoff vote, in Istanbul, Turkey, May 25, 2023. Seeking a runoff boost from nationalist voters, Kilicdaroglu has in the last two weeks sharpened his anti-immigrant tone and promised to repatriate migrants. Pollsters later pointed to an unexpected surge in nationalist support at the ballot box to explain the result.

☆ Turkey’s opposition faces an uphill battle in runoff with Erdogan
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Tamara Qiblawi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Istanbul CNN —A hushed silence fell over the crowd outside the Istanbul headquarters of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development (AK) party. Sullen faces turned to the election count on the large screen — Erdogan’s vote had dropped below the 50% threshold needed to clinch the first round of Sunday’s historic election. Erdogan secured a five-point lead over his principal opponent, destining them to a run-off vote. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and his wife Emine Erdogan meet supporters outside a polling station in Istanbul, Turkey May 14, 2023. Then our President Erdogan saves us.”Ahead of the run-off vote, Erdogan now has two weeks in which to save himself – and all the indications are that he begins, as ever, from a place of strength.

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