What You Need to Know About Turkey's Big Elections

Bye-Bye Erdogan?

Turkey is holding major national elections on May 14, and for the first time in twenty years, President Erdogan is facing a serious challenge at the ballot box. Soaring inflation and fallout from the major earthquakes have reshaped Turkish politics. Meanwhile, opposition parties are unified around 74 year-old career politician Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, whose mild-mannered demeanor stands in stark contrast to Erdogan’s bombast and charisma.

So who is Kılıçdaroğlu? And how might these elections change Turkey’s approach to NATO, its role in the Ukraine conflict and its relationships in the Middle East? Joining me on the podcast to answer these questions and more is Dr. Lisel Hintz, Assistant Professor of International Relations at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.

If you have 25 minutes and want to understand what is driving the debate in Turkey ahead of these elections and the broad foreign policy implications of the May 14 elections, have a listen.

Go here to listen to the episode on your favorite podcast listening app.

And as always, let me know what you think.

-Mark