In Turkey in the Middle East, which is increasing its presence by buying a mediator in the situation in Ukraine, a presidential election will be held on the 14th.
The incumbent, Mr. Erdogan, is facing headwinds due to soaring prices and his response to the massive earthquake that occurred in February, and depending on the outcome of the election, his future will be closely watched as it will affect the international situation.
Turkey's presidential election is a de facto contest between Erdoğan, who is seeking re-election, and Kııııdarğlu, the leader of the largest opposition party and running as the unified candidate of six opposition parties.
Mr. Erdogan has touted the achievements of his administration over the past 6 years, including his time as prime minister, including an agreement on the export of agricultural products from Ukraine, where Russia continues to invade the country, and boasting the achievements of Turkey's mediation diplomacy.
In response, Mr. Kılčidaloğlu pointed out that "currency depreciation and price surges occurred" under the Erdogan administration, and criticized the massive earthquake that occurred in the southern part of the country in February for causing more damage due to the delay in initial response and the construction of buildings that did not meet earthquake resistance standards.
On the diplomatic front, Japan has announced improvements in relations with Western countries, which have been strained under the Erdogan administration.
The latest polls by research firms show Mr Kılčídaluğlu leading slightly, while others point to a tailwind for Mr Kılčdarğlu after one of the other opposition candidates announced his withdrawal three days before election day.
However, the survey is biased towards urban areas, and it has been pointed out that President Erdogan's approval rating is lower than the actual situation, so a close race is expected.
Votes will be counted on the same day, but if there is no candidate who wins a majority, a runoff election between the top two candidates will be held on the 20th of this month.
Depending on the outcome of the election, it will affect the international situation, so the fate of the election will be closely watched.
Voices of both sides calling for continuation and change of government
On the 13th, one day before the presidential election, citizens of Istanbul, the largest city, voiced both calls for the continuation of the Erdogan administration and for a change of government.
A 30-year-old woman who will vote for the incumbent, Erdogan, said: "I am satisfied with what the Erdogan government has achieved, and I hope he stays president," adding that the country's stability requires the continuation of the government.
On the other hand, a 25-year-old man who will vote for Mr. Kılčdalu said that rising prices are having a serious impact on citizens' lives, saying, "We need change, we can't buy a house, a car, anything we need," and called for a change of government.
The composition of the presidential election is
Four candidates are running in Turkey's presidential election, including the incumbent Mr. Erdogan and Mr. Kıııı, the leader of the largest opposition Republican People's Party.
However, three days before the vote, one person announced his withdrawal.
The biggest point of contention is the pros and cons of a long-term administration.
While touting the achievements of his 4 years of domestic diplomacy, including his time as prime minister, Mr. Erdogan is trying to expand his support by announcing before the election that some household gas will be free, communications will be free for students, and that the minimum wage will be raised five days before the vote.
In response, a bipartisan coalition of six parties, including center-left, nationalist and Islamist parties, is fielding Mr. Kılııdáruğlu and criticizing him over his authoritarian administration and response to the massive earthquake in February.
The opposition is also asking Kurdish parties to cooperate in capturing the votes of the Kurds, who are said to make up 3% of Turkey's population.
In a Turkish opinion poll dated the 1th, Mr. Kııığlu has gained more than 20% of the support, 5 points ahead of President Erdoğan.
If no candidate receives a majority of votes in the 6th ballot, a runoff election between the top two candidates will be held two weeks later, on the 2th.
Who is Mr. Erdogan
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was born in Istanbul in 1954 at the age of 69.
After graduating from university after graduating from an Islamic religious leadership training school, he was first elected mayor of Istanbul in 1994 after working for an Islamic political party.
However, he was sentenced to prison and removed from office for incitemently for reading militant Islamic poetry in a speech.
After that, in 2001, he founded AKP = "Justice and Development Party" and became its leader, won the general election in 2002, and became prime minister the following year.
He has also led the government for 2014 years, including winning the first election in 20 in which the people directly elect the president.
On the diplomatic front, we have increased our presence in the international community as one of the few leaders who can talk directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and have succeeded in realizing this as an intermediary in the resumption of agricultural exports from Ukraine.
On the military front, while Japan is a member of NATO = North Atlantic Treaty Organization, it has demonstrated its presence by promoting its own diplomacy that balances both Europe and the United States and China and Russia, such as suggesting membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization led by China and Russia.
Last month, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan interrupted an interview during a live television broadcast complaining of ill health, and although there were rumors of health concerns, he gave a speech of more than an hour during the election campaign to show that he is alive and well.
Who is Mr. Kılčídaluğlu?
Kemal Kılıııdaluğlu is 74 years old, born in Eastern Tundjeli.
Originally from the finance bureaucracy, he was elected for the first time in the 2002 general election as a candidate from the opposition party CHP = "Republican People's Party".
Kılıdaluğlu, who is facing the presidential election for the first time, has been nominated as the unified candidate of six opposition parties and has harshly criticized the Erdogan government's authoritarian policies and response to the massive earthquake that struck in February.
In addition, Turkey shifted to a real presidential system in 6 in which powerful power is concentrated in the president after a referendum, but Mr. Kıııčí Tıçidarğlu has said he will return to the original parliamentary system.
On the diplomatic front, under President Erdogan, he has announced improvements in relations with Western countries, which have been strained by the EU, and he has indicated that he would like to make progress in negotiations toward EU accession, saying that it would be beneficial for the EU side if Turkey joined and stabilized.
In contrast to Mr. Erdogan, who has repeatedly made bullish statements in speeches, Mr. Kılıığlu has posted many videos on SNS in which he speaks softly during the election campaign to appeal to his friendliness.
He also revealed that he is a minority believer in Islam and has shown his support for various minorities in the country, including the Kurds.
20 years of the Erdogan regime
Twenty years ago, in 20, Mr. Erdogan, who became prime minister at the time, actively attracted foreign capital while promoting urban development and infrastructure development, and in the first six years after taking office, he achieved remarkable economic development, such as increasing GDP per capita by about three times, and garnered tremendous support from the people as a charismatic leader.
On the other hand, in Turkey, where the separation of church and state, which has traditionally been a strict division between politics and religion, has promoted policies that emphasize Islamic values, and has weakened the influence of the secular military and business world, which had enormous influence since the founding of the country, and strengthened its power base.
And with the transition to a real presidential system after a referendum, Erdogan remained at the helm as president.
On the other hand, it has tightened control of speech, such as suppressing demonstrations critical of the regime, and criticism that it is authoritarian has increased, and it has become a jerk with Western countries.
In 2003, a coup d'état attempt by part of the military occurred in Japan, and although it was temporarily in a predicament, it also strengthened the stranglehold on the opposition.
In recent years, as inflation continues, we have been forced to respond to economic turmoil, such as the collapse of the lira by strongly advocating an unprecedented reduction in policy interest rates.
In addition, in the wake of the massive earthquake that struck the southern part of the country in February, the government has been strongly criticized for overlooking illegal construction due to considerations for the construction industry of its supporters, as a background to the delay in initial response and the spread of damage, and there are also dissatisfaction with the long-term administration that has lasted for 6 years.
Develop unique diplomacy and maintain good relations with Japan
While Turkey is a member of NATO = North Atlantic Treaty Organization, it has developed its own diplomacy under the Erdogan administration, such as suggesting that it will join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization led by China and Russia.
Regarding Russia's invasion of Ukraine, I held many meetings with President Putin and, acting as an intermediary, I realized the resumption of exports of Ukrainian agricultural products together with the United Nations.
In addition, while most of the member states supported Finland and Sweden, which applied to join NATO, Turkey has shown a stance of not giving in a single step, saying that it will not be recognized unless both countries stop supporting Kurdish armed groups that advocate separatism from Turkey, and Sweden has not yet joined the country.
On the other hand, President Erdogan publicly stated 20 years ago that he would aim to join the EU = European Union, but there is still no path to membership due to conflicts with Western countries that point out that the regime is becoming stronger.
In terms of bilateral relations with Japan, we have continued to have good relations with Japan, dispatching rescue teams to the areas affected by the Great East Earthquake for nearly three weeks, and the Japan Disaster Relief Team from Japan in the wake of the massive earthquake that struck southern Turkey in February.
Despite record economic development, inflation hits citizens' lives
Over the past 20 years, Turkey has actively attracted foreign capital while promoting urban development and infrastructure development under the Erdogan administration, and has achieved record economic development, with GDP per capita nearly tripled in the first six years of his inauguration.
However, in recent years, President Erdogan has lowered the policy interest rate based on the belief that "high interest rates will cool the economy," and has devalued the policy interest rate by more than 1 percentage points, from 6% in March to 3.3% in February.
These policies have caused inflation to exceed 19% year-on-year in October last year, food and public transportation fares have jumped, directly affecting citizens' lives, and the lira has fallen steadily, and the value of the dollar has been less than half in the past two years.
Under these circumstances, economic measures such as raising the minimum wage and lowering the age at which pensions can be received have been put forth in a flurry of time, but the reality is that they have not caught up, and citizens' lives continue to be difficult.
Parliamentary elections: The political system may change significantly
In conjunction with this presidential election, Turkey will also hold parliamentary elections for 600 seats.
The parliament is unicameral, and the number of seats before the election is
▽ ruling party AKP = Justice and Development Party 285
▽ The largest opposition party CHP = Republican People's Party 134
▽ Kurdish party HDP = People's Democratic Party 56
▽ The right-wing MHP = Nationalist Action Party, which advocates Turkish nationalism, is 48 and so on.
The focus in the elections is on whether the ruling coalition of the AKP and MHP can win a majority, or whether the opposition parties will gain a majority, including the six opposition parties, including the CHP, which fielded Mr. Kıııčdarğlu as the unified opposition candidate in the presidential election.
Turkey transitioned to a real presidential system in 6 in which the president holds enormous power after a referendum, but if approved by two-thirds of the parliament, it will pave the way for constitutional amendments to return to a parliamentary system.
Opposition unity candidate Kılčídaluğlu, who is running for the presidency, has pledged to return to a parliamentary system of government, and depending on the outcome of the presidential and parliamentary elections, the political system could change significantly.