Turkey‘s second decade in power: Is it fair for Erdogan to rule a decade longer than he wants to rule? A critical evaluation after Sunday’s election

Turks returned to the polls on Sunday for a referendum on whether their long-time ruler stretches his rule into a third decade or is ousted by a challenger who wants to restore democracy.

ISTANBUL, Turkey – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s two-decades of dominance over the country’s politics will continue after a win in Sunday’s election. Known for his combative populism and for reshaping the country’s laws to consolidate his power, Erdogan now looks ahead to another five-year term and ongoing concerns about the country’s direction and democracy.

This election was not fair at all. Erdogan has near-total control of Turkey’s broadcast media. Kilicdaroglu had to use social media to get his message across, and he had to do it without Erdogan spending as much time on TV. The minimum wage was raised several times in the last twelve months, in part due to the government being able to give benefits to millions of citizens.

The final decision could have implications far beyond Ankara because Turkey stands at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, and it plays a key role in NATO.

Erdogan has maintained close ties with Russia and refused to participate in Western sanctions, while also supplying weapons to Ukraine. Analysts say Erdogan may eventually approve Sweden’s membership to NATO — which is important to the west in order to counter Russia — in exchange for F16 fighter planes from the United States. He showed Turkey’s usefulness to the West in helping broker a deal with the United Nations between Ukraine and Russia, to allow Ukrainian grain exports through a Russian blockade.

Turkey’s June 14 Election Campaign During the February 14 Seismological Earthquake: “In the Light of Erdogan’s Unjustified Advantage”

The May 14 election saw 87% turnout, and strong participation is expected again Sunday, reflecting voters’ devotion to elections in a country where freedom of expression and assembly have been suppressed.

While empowering religious Turks who were repressed when secular leaders were in power decades ago, Erdogan has elevated Turkey’s global presence and advanced the country’s infrastructure and military capability. A devastating earthquake in February that caused hundreds of thousands of Buildings to Collapse, killing more than 50,000 people, has been seen by his critics as an autocrat who allowed government corruption to flourish.

Still, Erdogan has retained the backing of conservative voters who remain devoted to him for lifting Islam’s profile in the country that was founded on secular principles and for raising the country’s influence in world politics.

In a bid to woo voters hit hard by inflation, he has increased wages and pensions and subsidized electricity and gas bills, while showcasing Turkey’s homegrown defense industry and infrastructure projects. He made a promise to rebuild areas affected by the quake, constructing 319,000 homes by the time of his reelection. Many see him as a source of stability.

If he is elected, Kilicdaroglu vowed to return refugees and would not engage in peace negotiations with the Kurds.

Many in Turkey think that Syrian refugees who fled the war in Syria to Turkey are a burden on the country and their repatriation became a key issue in the election.

Erdogan’s AKP party and its allies retained a majority of seats in parliament following a legislative election that was also held on May 14. There won’t be another parliamentary election Sunday.

After the May 14 vote, international observers pointed to thecriminalization of dissemination of false information as evidence that Erdogan had an “unjustified advantage.” The observers also said the elections showed the resilience of Turkish democracy.

Turkey’s pro-Kurdish party, which received the backing of the country’s government, was portrayed as having colluding with terrorists by pro-government media.

The leader of the outlawed PKK is located in the mountains of Iraq, according to the leader of the election campaign.

The 100th anniversary of independence: Erdogan’s third term to rule Turkey despite grievances and earthquakes in the aftermath of the First World War

The country marked the 100th anniversary of its independence as a republic, following the fall of the Ottoman Empire.

Despite his one-man executive rule, his third term in power signifies the resilience of the system despite mounting grievances against him in Turkey and the poor response to a devastating earthquake.

In the end, the first round saw a high turnout of almost 89%, but on Sunday it appeared to be lower. The opposition, which had high expectations that it could beat Erdogan in the first round, suffered a huge morale loss and was unable to fully recover in the two weeks since.

“Kilicdaroglu’s party has some unresolved historic baggage with many voters, and he struggled with presenting himself as an alternative to Erdogan, who’s seen as a much more charismatic leader,” Coskun said.

“There’s absolutely no reason to think that [Erdogan] would reverse course or soften his approach,” said political analyst Selim Koru, both on domestic issues and international affairs.

“It’s not just us who won, it is Turkey too,” the president said in his victory speech. “It is our nation that won with all of its elements. It is our way of life.

At home, he still faces soaring inflation, a highly-criticized, sluggish response to massive earthquakes in February and concerns that he’s creating one-man rule.

That helped counter the unhappiness over the economic crisis, which has seen high inflation and a weakened currency. And the government’s poor building code enforcement and slow response to February’s earthquakes are still blamed by many for the high death toll — some 50,000 lives lost in Turkey.

Two decades ago, the Turkish president came into office as a champion of working-class people and religious conservatives who had felt neglected and repressed by previous secular governments. Women who owned headscarves were not allowed to attend schools or work in jobs. Erdogan changed those laws and to this day many people, conservative women in particular, see him as someone who looks after them.

I don’t think he will make much of a difference. I think he is more respectful of my choices and my freedom,” said the mother, Sabiha Dogan, meaning the headscarves she and her daughter wore.

The women who supported the opposition made disrespectful remarks to the women who were wearing headscarves. Dogan and her daughter felt supported by their choice of candidate.

There are concerns that Erdogan will continue amassing one-man power. Many women and activists worry that their liberty will decline in the next five years. The Turkish leader made comments about Turkey’s queer community during his campaign.

Kurdish groups allied with the U.S. are worried that he has expanded the reach and control of the Turkish military in northern Syria.

Turkey was wanted to be in the camp of the Western bloc that is broadly aligned with the outside world. Turkey essentially has said no, it wants its own camp and isn’t interested in participating in any kind of geopolitical alignment where it isn’t the boss,” said Koru.