Turkey's Presidential Election: Erdoğan Leads, Democracy at Risk

Turkey's presidential election will go to a runoff on May 28th as incumbent Recep Tayyip Erdogan fell short of an outright victory, winning 49.51% of the vote. His main rival, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, won 44.88%. Erdogan's alliance also retained its hold on parliament. The election will determine whether Turkey remains under Erdogan's firm grip or can embark on a more democratic course promised by Kilicdaroglu. Erdogan has governed for 20 years, and while opinion polls suggested his rule could be coming to an end, his retreat was still less marked than predicted.