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We are experiencing the result of this marathon with you tonight," Erdogan, 69, told thousands of flag-waving supporters from the balcony of his party's headquarters. But Erdogan, a veteran of a dozen election victories, emerged comfortably ahead of Kilicdaroglu, though just short of the majority needed to win. The outcome reflects the strong support Erdogan still commands, especially in religiously conservative regions where voters long felt marginalised by a once-dominant secular elite. Over two decades, Erdogan has redrawn Turkey's domestic, economic, security and foreign policy, rivalling historic leader Mustafa Kemal Ataturk who founded modern Turkey a century ago. Erdogan's government said the purge was justified by threats from coup supporters, as well as Islamic State and the PKK.

[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.

The son of a sea captain, Erdogan has faced stiff political headwinds ahead of Sunday's election: he was already facing blame over an economic crisis when a devastating earthquake hit in February. Critics accused his government of a slow response and lax enforcement of building rules, failures they said could have cost lives. Two days before the vote, Erdogan said he came to office through the ballot boxes and if he had to, would leave the same way. A veteran of more than a dozen election victories, the 69-year-old Erdogan has taken aim at his critics in typically combative fashion. "I swear, Erdogan can solve it with a flick of his wrist," she said at a market in central Istanbul.

☆ On final day of campaign, Erdogan accuses Turkish opposition of working with Biden
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( Ali Kucukgocmen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Polls show Erdogan trailing the main opposition candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu a day ahead of one of the most consequential elections in Turkey's modern history. Erdogan also criticised Kilicdaroglu for his comments on Russia, calling Moscow an important partner for Turkey. [1/3] Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan holds a present for supporters ahead of the May 14 presidential and parliamentary elections, in Istanbul, Turkey May 13, 2023. REUTERS/Dylan Martinez 1 2 3Turkey's Western allies have been irked by closer ties between Ankara and Moscow under Erdogan. Kilicdaroglu is a "separatist," Erdogan later said in Kasimpasa, an AK Party stronghold where he grew up.

☆ Erdogan's future is in doubt, but Turkey's ties to Russia and tensions with the US aren't going anywhere
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Matthew Mai | Defense Priorities | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Western observers dislike Erdogan's foreign policy, but a different leader is unlikely to change course. Critics charge that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's foreign policy is a direct outgrowth of his illiberal posture at home rather than shrewd geopolitics. Whether Erdogan or his challenger, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, wins, the interests guiding Turkey's foreign policy will require the same balancing act that eschews alignment with any great-power bloc and maximizes Ankara's freedom of action. Locals applaud as a convoy of Turkish trucks carrying tanks near Turkey's border with Syria in October 2019. By prioritizing independence and autonomy, foreign policy under a prospective Kilicdaroglu administration will embody a significant degree of continuity from his predecessor.

Ahead of Sunday's elections, a cost of living crisis is now hitting Erdogan's support in the southeast as elsewhere, threatening his prospects in a tough battle to maintain power. A survey published this week by pollster Rawest showed 76.3% support for opposition presidential candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu in Diyarbakir province, with backing for Erdogan at just 20.5%. The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), deemed a terrorist group by Turkey and its Western allies, took up arms against the state in 1984. Those talks collapsed in 2015, unleashing a period of ferocious urban warfare in the southeast, including in the streets near Aydin's shop. CHANGE IN ERDOGANThe HDP, parliament's third largest party, has itself declared its support for Kilicdaroglu.

☆ A change in Turkish leadership might not spell the end of ties with Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The strengthening ties between Erdogan and Putin have caused jitters in the West, with some watching the upcoming elections with anticipation of a possible Erdogan exit. That makes Russia among Turkey’s biggest trade partners. The European Union, as a bloc, however remains Turkey’s largest trade partner, with bilateral trade reaching around $219 billion, according to the European Commission. But while relations with the EU might improve if the opposition wins, the road may be longer and more challenging with the US, experts say. “When we mention Turkey’s relationship with the West… we sometimes take both ends of the Atlantic (as one),” Isci said.

☆ Erdogan accuses opposition of provocations ahead of tight Turkish vote
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ANKARA, May 8 (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan accused the opposition on Monday of provoking disorder and siding with terrorists, without providing evidence, in a fiery speech days before close and increasingly fractious elections. Opinion polls suggest Erdogan faces the biggest electoral challenge of his career in presidential and parliamentary votes due on May 14. The following day, on the other side of Turkey during a rally in the western town of Edirne, Erdogan accused the opposition of being "pro-LGBT" and "siding with terrorists". "They (the opposition) are trying to defame our cities shamelessly by making a scene with their own provocations," Erdogan said, without making direct reference to the events in Erzurum. Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu also accused the opposition of inciting the violence in Erzurum.

[1/2] Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan addresses his supporters during a rally ahead of the May 14 presidential and parliamentary elections, in Izmir, Turkey April 29, 2023. As he seeks to shore up his appeal among conservative voters, Erdogan has also spoken against homosexuality, describing LGBT rights as a "deviant" concept he would fight. 'BUILDING TURKEY TOGETHER'Polls suggest voting could go to a second round and some show Erdogan trailing. "I swear, Erdogan can solve it with a flick of his wrist," she said at a market in central Istanbul. The interventions won few allies, however, and faced with a struggling economy the countdown to the election, Erdogan sought rapprochement with rivals across the region.

☆ Erdogan calls opposition 'pro-LGBT' at election rally
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

ANKARA, May 7 (Reuters) - Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan accused the opposition of being "pro-LGBT" at a rally in Istanbul on Sunday, as he stepped up his rhetoric against his opponents a week before what is expected to be a tight election. Elsewhere, protesters threw stones at Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, a member of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), during an election rally in the eastern city of Erzurum, a stronghold of Erdogan's AK Party (AKP). On Sunday, he also attacked his key election rival Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who heads the main opposition alliance. The opposition has previously denounced claims by Erdogan linking them to terrorists as divisive and dangerous campaign rhetoric. In the 2018 presidential election Erdogan won 72% of votes in Erzurum.

☆ Turkey general election 2023 guide: what you need to know
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

And even if Kilicdaroglu wins the election, some analysts say Erdogan may not hand over power to his successor without a struggle. Here’s what you need to know about the vote that could become a pivotal moment in Turkey’s modern history:How Turkey’s elections workTurkey holds elections every five years. Parliamentary elections take place at the same time as the presidential elections. Four candidates are running for this year’s presidential election. CHP Istanbul mayor candidate Ekrem Imamoglu then went on to win the election re-run, dealing a blow to Erdogan.

☆ Four Turkish troops wounded in attacks in Syria, Ankara says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ISTANBUL, April 16 (Reuters) - Four Turkish soldiers were wounded in artillery and rocket attacks by Kurdish militants on bases in northern Syria, prompting a counter attack, Ankara said on Sunday. Turkey's defence ministry said the attacks were carried out by the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia, which spearheads the U.S.-allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), and also the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which Turkey and Western nations deem a terrorist group. Turkey has carried out several cross-border military incursions into northern Syria in recent years and has dozens of bases there. "Ample response is given to the terrorists with strong attacks on targets," it added. Earlier on Sunday Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said "we could never be safe while there is an armed terrorist organisation" in the north of Syria and Iraq.

☆ Iraq calls on Turkey to apologize for attack on Sulaymaniyah airport
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Erbil, April 8 (Reuters) - Iraq called on Turkey on Saturday to apologize for what it said was an attack on Sulaymaniyah airport in Iraq's north, saying the Turkish government must cease hostilities on Iraqi soil. A Turkish defence ministry official told Reuters that no Turkish Armed Forces operation took place in that region on Friday. Turkey has conducted several large-scale military operations including air strikes over the decades in northern Iraq and northern Syria against the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia, Islamic State and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Claims of an attack came days after Turkey closed its airspace to aircraft travelling to and from Sulaymaniyah due to what it said was intensified activity there by PKK militants. The outlawed PKK, which has led an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984, is considered a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.

☆ Sweden less sure it will join NATO by July - TT
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

STOCKHOLM, March 30 (Reuters) - Sweden's foreign minister said on Thursday he was no longer sure his country would be able to join NATO by July, after fresh signs of objections from Hungary. Sweden applied to join the military alliance after Russia's invasion of Ukraine last year, but Hungary and fellow NATO member Turkey held off from approving the bid. Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said last week that "it goes without saying" Sweden would become a member by the time of a NATO summit in Vilnius in July. Finland applied to join NATO at the same time as Sweden. Its NATO membership was approved by the Hungarian parliament on Monday and is expected to be ratified by Turkey soon.

☆ In vote setback for Erdogan, Turkey's HDP will not field candidate
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ANKARA, March 22 (Reuters) - Turkey's pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) and its allies will not field a presidential candidate in May, its co-leader said on Wednesday, raising the prospect of the opposition uniting against President Tayyip Erdogan's re-election bid. Speaking at a news conference, Pervin Buldan did not openly say whether her alliance would support opposition candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu, after they had met on Monday. "For these reasons, we are sharing with the public that we will not field a candidate in presidential elections." Erdogan is facing the biggest challenge to his rule in his more than two decades of leading Turkey. Recent polls show him trailing Kilicdaroglu, the candidate of the opposition alliance of six parties.

The HDP, parliament's third-biggest party, wants the opposition to back demands for Kurdish rights and other issues. The Kurdish party held talks with Kilicdaroglu on Monday and is expected to announce this week whether it will back him. HDP lawmaker Imam Tascier said Kilicdaroglu had acknowledged the "Kurdish problem", terms reminiscent of language used by Erdogan in earlier years when he was seeking Kurdish support. Now, he said, Erdogan "pushed freedoms, democracy, human rights and the Kurdish problem away with the back of his hand". Yet, legal challenges could derail the role of HDP, which also won almost 12% of the national vote in 2018.

☆ Sweden, Finland and Turkey hold NATO talks, agree to more meetings
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

STOCKHOLM/ISTANBUL, March 9 (Reuters) - Turkey has acknowledged that Sweden and Finland have taken concrete steps to meet Ankara's concerns over their bids to join NATO and the three will hold further meetings, Sweden's chief negotiator in the accession process said on Thursday. Sweden and Finland applied last year to join NATO, but faced unexpected objections from Turkey which says the two countries harbour members of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), considered a terrorist group by Ankara and its Western allies. "We see that Turkey recognized that both Sweden and Finland have taken concrete steps in this agreement, which is a good sign," chief negotiator Oscar Stenstrom told a news conference at NATO headquarters after trilateral talks resumed. President Tayyip Erdogan's spokesman, Ibrahim Kalin, said steps taken by Sweden and Finland to address Ankara's security concerns were positive, but not enough for Turkey's ratification of their NATO bid. In January, Turkey suspended talks set up as part of a trilateral deal agreed in Madrid last year aimed at smoothing Finland and Sweden's accession process.

☆ Turkey's pro-Kurdish party calls for opposition unity after split
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ISTANBUL, March 4 (Reuters) - A leader of Turkey's pro-Kurdish party called on the opposition to unite on Saturday, a day after a separate six-party alliance aiming to defeat President Tayyip Erdogan splintered over who should run for president in May elections. "We call on all social and political opposition to unite around the goals of democracy, justice and freedom in order to raise hope," co-leader Mithat Sancar said after an extraordinary meeting of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) senior ranks. The third-biggest party with 12% support nationally, the HDP is not part of the alliance. But in 2019 its mainly Kurdish supporters helped the alliance win upset mayoral elections in Istanbul, Ankara and other cities. For years, HDP has faced a government crackdown and possible ban over alleged ties to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group, which it denies.

After serving as mayor of Istanbul, he stepped onto the national stage as head of the AK Party, which triumphed in 2002 national elections. Western allies initially saw Erdogan's Turkey as a vibrant mix of Islam and democracy which could be a model for Middle East states struggling to shake off autocracy and stagnation. Faced with a struggling economy, a weak currency and a countdown to this year's election, Erdogan sought rapprochement with rivals across the region. Now he must convince voters he is the leader to rebuild Turkey from the rubble after this month's earthquake. That will be, in all likelihood, to the detriment of the ruling AK Party and President Erdogan," said Sinan Ulgen, director of the Istanbul-based Centre for Economic and Foreign Policy Studies.

☆ Sweden and Finland's NATO membership is a 'matter of time' amid Turkey negotiations, Swedish foreign minister says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Sweden and Finland are firmly on course to become NATO members this year, Sweden's foreign minister said Wednesday, amid strained negotiations with Turkey over their admittance. Turkey's opposition to Sweden and Finland's NATO membership centers around what, it says, is their harboring of militants from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). Hungary is the other ratification holdout, though local media reported Tuesday that its Parliament could ratify NATO membership for Finland and Sweden early next month. That included preparing to deliver new legislation to the Swedish Parliament in March, he said. He also said that Swedish membership at the NATO summit in July was the goal.

[1/2] U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu arrive at a meeting in Ankara, Turkey February 20, 2023. REUTERS/Cagla GurdoganANKARA, Feb 20 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday Washington strongly supports Sweden and Finland's quick NATO accession given steps they have already taken, even as his Turkish counterpart stressed the need for more concrete action. The Nordic countries' NATO bids have been stalled because Turkey has refused to ratify them, saying Stockholm in particular has harboured what it calls members of terrorist groups. "If they take steps that convince our parliament and people, there could be a development in this direction," he added. Sweden and Finland applied last year to join the trans-Atlantic defence pact after Russia invaded Ukraine, but faced unexpected objections from Turkey.

☆ Blinken to talk aid, Nordic NATO bid in visit to quake-hit Turkey
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( Humeyra Pamuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives for a meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at the Munich Security Conference in Munich, February. Since the earthquake, the United States has sent a search and rescue team to Turkey, medical supplies, concrete-breaking machinery, and additional funding of $85 million in humanitarian aid that also covers Syria. While the United States has praised Turkey for some of its actions during Russia's invasion of Ukraine, it remains worried over its close relationship with Moscow, experts say. "There will be no transfer of F-16s if Erdogan continues to deny admission to Finland and Sweden ... Ibrahim Kalin, Erdogan's chief foreign policy advisor, said last month he hoped the F-16 deal would not become "hostage" to the NATO memberships of Sweden and Finland.

☆ NATO chief says 'time is now' for Turkey to ratify Finland and Sweden membership bids
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Huseyin Hayatsever | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ANKARA, Feb 16 (Reuters) - NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday the "time is now" for Turkey to ratify applications by Finland and Sweden to join the defence alliance. Finland and Sweden applied to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February last year and their membership bids have been ratified by all allies except Hungary and Turkey. Turkey says Sweden harbors members of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which is seen as a terrorist group by Turkey, the European Union and others. "For me, this just demonstrates that Sweden and Finland understand and are implementing policies which recognize the concerns that Turkey expressed. Cavusoglu repeated Turkey's position that it could evaluate Finland and Sweden's bids to join NATO separately.

☆ NATO boss: more important Sweden, Finland join soon than together
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Andrew Gray | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Western officials have said they would prefer both countries to join NATO together, partly because it would be easier to integrate them at the same time into military structures. "The main question is not whether Finland and Sweden are ratified together. The main question is that they are both ratified as full members as soon as possible," he told reporters. "I'm confident that both will be full members and I'm working hard to get both ratified as soon as possible." Stoltenberg said Sweden and Finland had already come much closer to NATO in recent months and noted that all alliance members had approved the invitations to join.

☆ Finland to discuss NATO ratification that may leave Sweden behind
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Anne Kauranen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"Our position on Finland is positive, but it is not positive on Sweden," President Tayyip Erdogan said last week. A 53% majority of Finns polled on Feb. 2 for daily Ilta-Sanomat said they did not want Finland to wait for Sweden. For that to happen, Turkey and Hungary need to ratify the Finnish membership first and NATO to officially invite Finland as a member. Finland's Chancellor of Justice Tuomas Poysti told Ilta-Sanomat the process would leave Finland some room to wait for Sweden if need be, but not endlessly. Officially, Finland has reaffirmed time and time again that it wants to join NATO with Sweden.

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