Turkey's Crucial Election: Democracy, Economy, and Foreign Policy at Stake

Turkey heads into crunch elections on May 14 marked by debate over the centralization of powers under an increasingly authoritarian and divisive leader — dubbed the reis, or captain. The opposition is focusing its campaign on undoing the “one-man regime.” Turkey’s brutal cost of living crisis is the No. 1 electoral battleground. The main thrust of the opposition’s manifesto for switching power away from the presidency sounds legalistic. Given the fears about Erdogan’s lurch toward authoritarianism, speculation is intense over how fair the elections will be, and whether Erdogan can rig them.