Analyzing Turkey's 2023 Election Runoff and Erdogan's Political Momentum.

Turkey's presidential elections are headed to a runoff on May 28 after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his main opposition challenger failed to win a majority in the first round of voting. Erdogan won 49.5% of the vote, while Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the leader of a six-party opposition alliance, tallied 44.89%. Erdogan's party, the Justice and Development Party (AKP), and its biggest allies, also looked poised to retain a majority in parliament, based on preliminary election results. Erdogan has the clear advantage in the runoff, with a built-in edge, dominating the airwaves and using state resources to give public workers big raises.