Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has won the last 15 years of Presidency

After he successfully consolidated power by extinguishing a military coup, the President also made some strict changes. Erdogan is notorious for firing of thousands of government employees and holding strict control over the Turkish media. With all of this in mind, the economy of the country is still a major concern. The lira is down over 20%, with their inflation at 18%. June elections in Turkey are of the utmost importance, as they will inevitably shift the current form of government into an executive presidency. This move narrowly passed a referendum in 2017. In this change, the office of the Prime Minister will be abolished and most of the responsibilities will be transferred over to the President.

Erdogan’s Battle with The Kurds

In this latest campaign, Erdogan has vowed to continue military action against Kurdish militants both within Turkey and on borders with Syria and Iraq. Interestingly enough, the Kurdish vote could be the demographic that hold the key to change in the country. Kurds make up a whopping one fifth of the population, and their voting bloc is projected to be able to sway national elections.

The Opposition

Opposition candidate Muharrem Ince has displayed quite a large following, with his popularity seeming to grow leaps and bounds by the minute. An ex-Physics teacher, Ince has pledged to weaken presidential powers, restore the rule of law in the country and end all prosecutions of dissidents and opposition journalists. Although public opinion polls are notoriously unreliable, thousands showed up for rallies supporting Ince.

Predictions for the Future

The current Turkish obsession with involvement in the EU will pose challenging for the dictator. The traces of Islamist-style ruling does not go over well with the likes of Angela Merkel, Emmanuel Macron, and even Theresa May, who have all had to bear the brunt of Turkish emigration into their respective countries. Because the rule of law is so tightly held in Erdogan’s grasp, it is likely that we will see another 15 years of the Neo-Ottoman development in the bridge between the Middle East and Europe.