Facts: The election in Turkey
On May 14, Turkey will hold presidential and parliamentary elections. 64 million are entitled to vote, of which 61 million live in the country.
Just over five million are first-time voters. A fifth of all voters are under 25, and 51 percent are under 40.
If no presidential candidate secures more than 50 percent of the vote, a second election round will be held on May 28.
The country’s largest party, the AKP, founded by Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has ruled Turkey since 2002. But after a period of economic instability and accusations of increasingly authoritarian rule, support has waned.
In the parliamentary elections, voters from 87 constituencies will elect 600 members for a five-year term in the Turkish parliament.
In parliament, the AKP does not have its own majority, but rules with the help of the strongly nationalist MHP.
Ahead of the election, most of the opposition has gathered in a broad coalition, with parties from widely different backgrounds.
The largest party in the opposition, CHP founded by the father of the country Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, traditionally describes itself as secular and social democratic. The CHP is led by opposition presidential candidate Kemal Kiliçdaroglu.
Mehmet Topaloglu’s hometown was one of the worst hit in the devastating earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria in February. Many in the worst-hit areas have blamed the scale of the disaster on Erdogan and his government.
“I voted for Erdogan during his first two terms of office, but I wouldn’t do it again if he were my own father,” says Topaloglu.
14 hours by bus
For 60 million eligible Turks, today’s election is primarily between incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and opposition candidate Kemal Kiliçdaroglu. That means either five more years in power for the increasingly authoritarian Erdogan – or that the country changes direction and moves towards a more democratic future, according to observers.
Semra Karakas and her 23-year-old daughter Aylin were forced to make a 14-hour bus journey to vote in their hometown of Antakya, after the earthquake forced the family to leave their home and resettle in the coastal resort of Antalya. For mother and daughter, the return evokes difficult memories.
— The state did not come to our rescue. They came three or four days later, says Aylin Karakas.
A woman votes at a polling station in Istanbul on Sunday morning.
Mamma Semra tells of painful memories, of dying and dead babies who were stuck for hours and days in the rubble in a few plus degrees. For many, help came too late.
Simple choice
The aftermath of the earthquake and the long-simmering Turkish economy are predicted to be decisive in Sunday’s election. For 18-year-old first-time voter Kivanc Dal in Istanbul, the choice is simple.
— I can’t see any future. Erdogan can build as many tanks and weapons as he wants, but I can’t respect that as long as I don’t have a penny in my pocket, says the student.
If none of the presidential candidates gets more than 50 percent, the election will go to a second round, which will be held on May 28.
Preparations for today’s election at a polling station in Ankara on Sunday morning. In addition to Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Kemal Kiliçdaroglu, voters can vote for Sinan Ogan, who, however, is considered to have no chance.