Is this the most important election of 2023? People across Turkey are waiting to find out who their next leader will be. For now, the race is still too close to say.
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Why Turkey's knife-edge vote really matters
Is this the most important election of 2023? People across Turkey are waiting to find out who their next leader will be. For now, the race is still too close to say.
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What's happening?
People in TurkeyOfficially the Republic of Turkiye, a country that lies partly in Europe and partly in Asia at the east of the Mediterranean. are watching and waiting. But they may need to be patient. It will be more than a week before a final vote to decide who the country's next leader will be.
On Sunday, an electionA vote in which someone is chosen to represent a group of people. was held to decide the new president of Turkey. But neither of the two top candidates, Recep Tayyip ErdoganA Turkish politician who has been president of Turkey since 2014. and Kemal Kilicdaroglu, got more than 50% of the vote - so a new vote will be held.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan got 49% of the first vote. Kilicdaroglu got 45%. The next vote will take place on 28 May.
Erdogan has been Turkey's leader for a long time. He has changed the country hugely. For many years, Turkish politics and religion were separate. But Erdogan brought religion back into politics. He also sent people who disagreed with him to prison, and clashed with GreeceA country in southeastern Europe with a population of more than 10 million. , Turkey's neighbour.
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Kilicdaroglu has promised to separate politics and religion again. He says he wants to make sure that Turkey is a democracyA system of government based on the idea of rule by the people. - a country which is ruled by its people, not powerful leaders.
Yes! Turkey is a huge country. It plays a big role in world politics. Its future matters to the whole world.
No! This election will not change anything. Even if Erdogan does not win, he has already changed Turkey forever.
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Is this the most important election of 2023?
Keywords
Turkey - Officially the Republic of Turkiye, a country that lies partly in Europe and partly in Asia at the east of the Mediterranean.
Election - A vote in which someone is chosen to represent a group of people.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan - A Turkish politician who has been president of Turkey since 2014.
Greece - A country in southeastern Europe with a population of more than 10 million.
Democracy - A system of government based on the idea of rule by the people.
Why Turkey’s knife-edge vote really matters
Glossary
Turkey - Officially the Republic of Türkiye, a country that lies partly in Europe and partly in Asia at the east of the Mediterranean.
Election - A vote in which someone is chosen to represent a group of people.
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan - A Turkish politician who has been president of Turkey since 2014.
Greece - A country in southeastern Europe with a population of more than 10 million.
Democracy - A system of government based on the idea of rule by the people.