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Long stuck in the shadow of Erdogan and his Islamist-rooted AK Party (AKP), opposition leader Kilicdaroglu has flourished on the campaign trail with polls showing he has a slight lead. Kilicdaroglu said a fundamental problem of Turkey's foreign policy during the tenure of Erdogan's AKP was the exclusion of the foreign ministry in the policy making process. 'PEACE-ORIENTED FOREIGN POLICY'"We would pursue a peace-oriented foreign policy that prioritises Turkey's national interest. Before entering politics, Kilicdaroglu worked in the finance ministry and then chaired Turkey's Social Insurance Institution for most of the 1990s. A year after losing a mayoral run in Istanbul, he was elected unopposed as party leader in 2010.

His main opponent is CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, who represents an election coalition of six opposition parties. For the first time, Turkey’s factious opposition has coalesced around a single candidate. When a vicious earthquake on February 6 laid waste to large parts of southeast Turkey, Erdogan’s battled political aftershocks. More than 1.8 million voters living abroad already cast their votes on April 17, Turkish newspaper Daily Sabah reported Wednesday, citing the country’s deputy foreign minister. The Supreme Election Council (YSK) chief Ahmet Yener said last month that at least 1 million voters in quake-stricken zones are expected not to vote this year amid displacement.

☆ What the voters say as Turkey votes in landmark elections
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( Deniz Uyar | Oriana Boselli | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

ISTANBUL/ANTAKYA, Turkey, May 14 (Reuters) - Here are some views from Turkish citizens as their country voted on Sunday in elections that could extend President Tayyip Erdogan's rule into a third decade or see a transfer of power to his main rival Kemal Kilicdaroglu. I don't think it will go to a runoff," said school staff member Hasibe, 40, in the school where Erdogan voted on the Asian side of the city. I chose democracy and I hope that my country chooses democracy. "Of course, there are good things (Erdogan) did, but lately, they started to look down on and insult the nation. As you can see, even in elections, votes are being cast in ballot boxes outside," said school teacher Behzat Oz.

☆ 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.

☆ Turkey votes in pivotal elections that could end Erdogan's 20-year rule
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The election takes place three months after earthquakes in southeast Turkey killed more than 50,000 people. The pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) is not part of the main opposition alliance but fiercely opposes Erdogan after a crackdown on its members in recent years. Kilicdaroglu, a 74-year-old former civil servant, promises that if he wins he will return to orthodox economic policies from Erdogan's heavy management. Human Rights Watch, in its World Report 2022, said Erdogan's government has set back Turkey's human rights record by decades. If he wins, Kilicdaroglu faces challenges keeping united an opposition alliance that includes nationalists, Islamists, secularists and liberals.

☆ Factbox: Turkey elections 2023: what you need to know
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The powers of the presidency were broadened in 2017 when a referendum narrowly approved switching Turkey from a parliamentary to a presidential system. By late on Sunday there could be a clear indication of the presidential election result. KEMAL KILICDAROGLUKilicdaroglu is the joint presidential candidate of the six-party main opposition alliance. He is chairman of the Republican People's Party (CHP), which was established by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk - the founder of modern Turkey. The HDP's cooperation with the opposition in the 2019 local elections helped defeat the AKP in major cities.

☆ Turkey's Erdogan faces toughest test yet in landmark election — with high stakes for the world
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

He came to prominence as mayor of Istanbul in the 1990s, and was celebrated in the first decade of the new millennium for transforming Turkey's economy into an emerging market powerhouse. But recent years have been far less rosy for the religiously conservative leader, whose own economic policies have triggered a cost-of-living crisis. Now, given a recent downturn in support for Erdogan, some fear he may play dirty to ensure his hold on power. The stakes are high for the entire country and, more broadly, global geopolitics – and the mood on the ground is tense. Mustafa Kamaci | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images"I'm very concerned that [Erdogan] may deploy underhanded tactics, cheating and even violence," Ibish said.

☆ The Turkey candidates for president and other key figures
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Only three candidates remain in the race for president after Muharrem Ince, representing a small party, withdrew. CHP LEADER KEMAL KILICDAROGLUKilicdaroglu, 74, head of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), was named the six-party opposition alliance's presidential candidate in March. Previously a staunch opponent of Erdogan, Bahceli's Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) began to work with the president and his AKP after a 2016 attempted coup. OPPOSITION FIGURES:IYI PARTY LEADER MERAL AKSENERFormer interior minister Meral Aksener, 66, leads the second-largest party in the opposition alliance, the centrist and nationalist IYI Party. ANKARA MAYOR MANSUR YAVASNationalist politician and lawyer Mansur Yavas, 67, defeated the AKP's Ankara mayoral candidate 2019 as the CHP candidate backed by an opposition alliance.

One presidential candidate from a small party, Muharrem Ince, withdrew on Thursday citing a faked "character assassination" carried out online. "We find it unacceptable for another country to interfere in Turkey's election process in favour of a political party. [1/4] FILE PHOTO-Kemal Kilicdaroglu, presidential candidate of Turkey's main opposition alliance, greets his supporters during a rally ahead of the May 14 presidential and parliamentary elections, in Tekirdag, Turkey April 27, 2023. Kilicdaroglu said a fundamental problem of Turkey's foreign policy in Erdogan's AK Party (AKP) tenure was the exclusion of the foreign ministry from the policy-making process. Turkey, Kilicdaroglu said, will pursue a peace-oriented foreign policy that prioritises its national interest and acts in line with the modern world.

☆ How Sudan's paramilitary forces took parts of Khartoum, stormed army chief's quarters
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Khalid Abdelaziz | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/2] Satellite image shows burned and damaged General Command of the Sudanese Armed Forces headquarters building in Khartoum, Sudan April 16, 2023, in this handout image. More than 30 of his guards died in the ensuing battle, before the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) fighters retreated from the residence in the capital, said the bodyguard, who asked not to be named. "Why did the army let Hemedti become a parallel army and threatening the normal people. RSF fighters open mobile phones to look for army contacts, residents say. Reuters could not establish where Hemedti is currently operating from, or whether Burhan was still using army headquarters as his base of operations.

☆ US Army sergeant sentenced to 25 years for Black Lives Matter protester's murder
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Daniel Perry was found guilty last month of shooting to death 28-year-old Garrett Foster, a U.S. Air Force veteran, at a Black Lives Matter rally in Austin, Texas. He said the state's "stand your ground" law justified Perry's actions and could not be "nullified by a jury or progressive district attorney," Abbott said at the time. Perry's defense lawyers said they were disappointed with the sentence, but would focus to appealing the case and cooperating with the state's pardon process. Jose Garza, the district attorney for Travis County, where the case was tried and where Austin is located, is a Democrat. The shooting came moments after Perry, who was driving for Uber, happened upon a group of protesters, including Foster, marching downtown.

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.

☆ Factbox: Key players in Turkey's election campaign
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Turkey's longest-serving leader logged more than a dozen election victories and survived an attempted coup in 2016. CHP LEADER KEMAL KILICDAROGLUKilicdaroglu, 74, head of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), was named the six-party opposition alliance's presidential candidate in March. HOMELAND PARTY LEADER MUHARREM INCEFormer physics teacher and headmaster Muharrem Ince, 58, is seen as having little chance of becoming president. OPPOSITION FIGURES:IYI PARTY LEADER MERAL AKSENERFormer interior minister Meral Aksener, 66, leads the second-largest party in the opposition alliance, the centrist and nationalist IYI Party. ANKARA MAYOR MANSUR YAVASNationalist politician and lawyer Mansur Yavas, 67, defeated the AKP's Ankara mayoral candidate 2019 as the CHP candidate backed by an opposition alliance.

Reuters interviews with Kar and a dozen other voters in Antakya reflected anger over what some viewed as a slow initial government response to the disaster. The voices are a small snapshot of Antakya and the wider area of southern Turkey hit by the earthquake, a region home to nine million voters and traditionally an Erdogan stronghold. Only 4.3% of voters viewed the quake as Turkey's biggest problem last month, with most more concerned by an economy racked by rampant inflation. Nearby, excavators resound as they demolish some of the 80-90% of buildings estimated to have suffered quake damage. The opposing sides present very different narratives about Erdogan and his government's response to the disaster.

☆ How El Chapo’s sons built a fentanyl empire poisoning America
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +23 min

Headed by Iván, El Chapo’s oldest son, the siblings have emerged as key figures in the Sinaloa Cartel, U.S. and Mexican anti-narcotics officials said. But he was killed in 2008 in Culiacán in a hail of bullets amid infighting between warring factions of the Sinaloa Cartel. The agency in April placed Iván on the list of its 10 Most Wanted Fugitives, joining Jesús Alfredo and Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, a Sinaloa Cartel legend and El Chapo’s alleged former business partner. They also kidnapped eight soldiers and surrounded military housing where wives and children of Mexican soldiers lived, Mexican officials said. Despite that blow to the Sinaloa Cartel, fentanyl keeps flowing north.

☆ What's at stake in Turkey's landmark elections?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Modern Turkey's longest-serving leader, Erdogan has championed religious piety and low interest rates at home while asserting Turkish influence in the region and loosening the NATO member's ties with the West. The election takes place three months after earthquakes in southeast Turkey killed more than 50,000 people. WHAT'S AT STAKE FOR TURKEY ... The opposition has echoed Erdogan's plans to return some refugees to Syria, but neither has set out how that could safely take place. How the opposition will garner support among the Kurdish voters, accounting for 15% of the electorate, remains key.

Efe is one of more than 6 million first-time voters expected to cast ballots in the May 14 election. 'ANGRY AND HOPELESS'Erdogan's share of the vote among young and first-time voters is forecast to be lower than among other age groups, said Erman Bakirci from pollster Konda Arastirma. Describing young voters as a "very angry and hopeless" segment of Turkey's 85 million people, Bakirci said they would be crucial to the result because they are such a large block. "They see via internet and social media what their peers in Europe are doing and what opportunities they have," Bakirci said. Erdogan, who oversaw an economic boom in his first several years in power, has traditionally drawn support from Turkey's conservative voters in Turkey's Anatolian Islamic heartlands.

☆ Explainer: What's at stake in Turkey's landmark elections?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The election takes place three months after earthquakes in southeast Turkey killed more than 50,000 people. WHAT'S AT STAKE FOR TURKEY ... They would also dismantle his executive presidency in favour of the previous parliamentary system, and send back Syrian refugees. The opposition has echoed Erdogan's plans to return some refugees to Syria, but neither has set out how that could safely take place. How the opposition will garner support among the Kurdish voters, accounting for 15% of the electorate, remains key.

☆ 'We can't afford anything': Turkey's cost-of-living crisis threatens Erdogan's re-election
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Ali Kucukgocmen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

But a cost-of-living crisis sparked by Erdogan's unorthodox economic programme over the past 1-1/2 years has eroded his popularity, posing the biggest electoral challenge to his 20-year hold on power. The parliamentary race remains on a razor edge, with the opposition seen potentially clinching a narrow majority. Food prices surged 54% year-on-year in April, with headline inflation dropping to 43.7% after peaking in October at 85.5%, the highest under Erdogan's rule. It began to surge after a currency crisis in late 2021, sparked by a series of interest rate cuts, in line with Erdogan's unorthodox views. But many AKP voters still believe only Erdogan can fix the economy, or blame other factors for its current state.

☆ Analysis: In Turkey, an election reckoning for the rise and fall of Erdogan's economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Jonathan Spicer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

The May 14 vote, which lands during the Turkish Republic's centenary year, is Erdogan's biggest test yet. At the same time, a global reversal in market liquidity left Turkey and other emerging markets starved for funding. But the economic crisis was damaging. This trend accelerated in 2013, wiping out big gains made in 2006-2010 during Erdogan's first decade in charge. "If Erdogan wins the election and continues his economic policy it will come to a complete crash at one point.

☆ 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.

☆ Istanbul mayor's bus pelted with stones during rally
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Reuters Editorial | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PoliticsIstanbul mayor's bus pelted with stones during rallyPostedTensions have risen one week ahead of tight elections in Turkey, as an opposition mayor was confronted by a stone-throwing crowd in a city known to be a ruling AK Party (AKP) stronghold on Sunday (May 7).

[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's milestones before Turkey's election
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

August 2001: He establishes the Justice and Development Party, or AK Party (AKP), and is elected chairman. In his early days, Erdogan tours Europe and the United States to promote his policies and advance Turkey's bid to join the European Union. May 2013: Protests against Erdogan's plans to redevelop Istanbul's Gezi Park accelerate into unprecedented nationwide demonstrations over what critics see as his authoritarianism. March 2019: Nationwide municipal elections produce Erdogan's first electoral defeat in nearly two decades. The lira hits all-time lows, inflation soars to its highest levels during Erdogan's rule, and his approval ratings sink.

☆ 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.

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