Turkey is having an election on May 28, 2023. Erdogan was predicted to win the election despite his autocratic rule, and the thousands of activists pushing for civil rights. Erdogan’s People’s Alliance is also set to win the majority in parliament with 321 out of 600. The alliance comprises his nationalist parties and Islamist rooted AK party.

The main opposition to Erdogan is Kilicdaroglu, who was pushing for more democracy. Erdogan currently has 49.4 percent of the votes, while Kilicdaroglu has 44.96 percent. Another nationalist candidate, Sinan Ogan, said that he would only endorse Kilicdaroglu if he ruled out a pro-Kurdish party.

Ogan has 2.8 million voters, which could prove crucial in defeating Erdogan. Kilicdaroglu accused Erdogan’s party of interfering with vote counts, telling his party to be patient. Erdogan has been able to successfully rally voters even with rising inflation and a cost of living problem.

“We are sad, we are depressed about the whole situation. We expected different results,” explained commuter Volkan Atilgan, a Kilicdaroglu supporter. Thousands of activists and political prisoners could be released if Kilicdaroglu wins the election. Erdogan supports Putin and plans on strengthening relations with Russia, while disliking the Biden Administration. Pressure is also building from the collapse from the earthquake in February.