SPIEGEL correspondent Özlem Topçu on Erdoğan's choice of fate. Whoever wins the local elections in Istanbul will have a significant impact on Turkey's political development.
At 52, the incumbent mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu from the CHP is almost 20 years younger than Erdoğan. He shows his strength in the election campaign, creating closeness to the people that the all-powerful President has long since lost. The polls are currently predicting a neck-and-neck race.