What makes Türkiye's May 14 elections a matter of life or death? | Erdoğan vs opposition bloc candidate Kılıçdaroğlu

On May 14, 2023, Türkiye will hold presidential and parliamentary elections, which are considered to be the most important elections in the country's recent decades. The upcoming elections will be a decisive challenge for the ruling Justice and Development Party and its leader Recep Tayyip Erdoğan who announced that it would be his last time as a presidential candidate. It is also a democratic process for the Turkish voters who will judge the public services provided by President Erdoğan and his ruling bloc over the several years The crisis management of the natural disasters and COVID pandemic that hit Türkiye over the past 3 years would be also taken into account during the voting process. 'Erdoğan or Kılıçdaroğlu?' This has become the most popular question in the Turkish streets after the Turkish opposition coalition named the chairperson of the Republican People's Party (CHP), Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu as their joint candidate in the upcoming election. Analysts bring forward that the May 14 elections are considered the most critical elections forTürkiye and the region, because of Türkiye's role as a regional and global actor against the hegemonic powers. These strategic steps set by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and its chairman Erdoğan pose a threat to Western interests in the region. Erdoğan's political approach does not only affect domestic affairs, but also international ones in very sensitive cases such as the Russian-Ukrainian war, Sweden's bid for NATO membership and the Cyprus dispute, about which some western politicians do not share the same thoughts with president Erdoğan and hope that the opposition leader Kiliçdaroğlu, who several Western powers put their support behind him, would govern in favor of them. The election comes at a time of struggle for recovery after the Feb. 6 earthquakes that killed tens of thousands of people in the country's southeast. About 3 million people have left the provinces hit by 'the disaster of the century', about 1.5 million are eligible to vote and will cast their votes from the places they have been relocated to. Scores of Western media outlets do not hesitate to spread anti-Erdoğan propaganda by publishing biased political analyses and misleading opinions to ensure Erdoğan's loss in May 14 elections. At every opportunity, some of the Western states help the Kılıçdaroğlu-led opposition bloc that is expected to serve the interest of Western powers after coming to power in Türkiye. The British magazine The Economist published a story calling on Western powers to pay attention to Türkiye's upcoming elections, claiming that the country is 'on the brink of disaster' under Erdoğan's rule. But the Turkish president replied, 'Does the British magazine determine the fate of Türkiye? My nation determines it. The British magazine cannot determine the fate of Türkiye.' By making anti-Erdoğan coverage and spreading confusing content, Western media will continue to wage a mud-slinging campaign to ensure the removal of Türkiye's iconic political figure Erdoğan from power after the May 14 polls. *Written by journalist Mustafa T. R. Al-Assar.