Voters in Turkey go to the polls in a presidential election

Turkey‘s first election results are shaping the country’s democratic culture: A do-or-die campaign to end the civil war in Turkey

Turkey returned to the polls over the weekend to determine whether the long-time leader will stay in power for another ten years or be ousted by a challenger who wants to restore a more democratic society.

The first round of voting two weeks ago failed to produce a clear winner for the first time in the history of the Turkish Republic. An advantage ahead of the vote was given to Erdogan by the fact that he came ahead of his main opponent.

The divisive populist who turned his country into a geopolitical player finished four percentage points ahead of Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the candidate of a six-party alliance and leader of Turkey’s center-left main opposition party. Despite the devastating earthquake that struck three months ago, Erdogan still managed to do well.

Turkey plays a key role in NATO and the final decision could have implications far beyond Ankara.

The United States objected to Turkey joining the alliance due to it purchasing Russian missile-defense systems and vetoing Sweden’s bid to join. But Erdogan’s government also helped broker a crucial deal that allowed Ukrainian grain shipments and averted a global food crisis.

It seems that the election had an effect on the country’s democratic culture. Turnout was high — 84% — and many Turks volunteered as citizen witnesses to ensure the safety of ballots. Efforts to push back against abuse of power are something many people vow to continue.

The millions of people who voted against him think that he is an authoritarian. The judiciary, the media, and jails perceived opponents are some of the things he has done. The construction industry collapsed in the earthquakes because of corruption that he allowed to flourish. He’s replaced opposition mayors even though they won local elections.

The country that has been founded on secular principles was founded on an idea of Islam being more prominent in the world, and that is why many conservatives still support him.

Kilicdaroglu also promised to end corruption, fix the economy, and bring back independence to the judiciary. But Kilicdaroglu also ran on nationalist and anti-immigrant rhetoric. He highlighted his plans to secure Turkey’s borders and send the nearly 4 million Syrians who have sought refuge in Turkey after the civil war back to Syria.

In a frantic do- or-die effort to reach out to nationalist voters in the second round of polling, Kilicdaroglu vowed to send back refugees if he’s elected.

Many of Turkey’s nearly 4 million Syrian refugees were celebrating. A decade ago he oversaw an open-door policy for refugees escaping war in neighboring Syria — though life for many of the refugees has still been difficult.

The AKP party and its allies retained most of their seats in parliament during the legislative election held on May 14. The elections won’t be repeated on Sunday.

In the run up to the May 14 vote international observers pointed to the criminalization of dissemination of false information and online censorship as evidence that the President had an advantage. The elections showed resilience of Turkish democracy according to the observers.

The media portrayed Kilicdaroglu as colluding with terrorists and a supporter of homosexuals, since he received the backing of the country’s pro-Kurdish party.

At recent campaign rallies, a reference was made to Qandil, the mountains in Iraq, where the PKK’s leadership is based.

Erdogan’s defeat in Istanbul: Two decades after he became a republic, Erdogan is still working class citizens and the nation’s democracy

The country marked the anniversary of its establishment as a republic with an election being held.

Despite mounting grievances in Turkey against his one-man executive rule, the win signifies the continuation of his third term in power.

In the end, turnout appeared lower on Sunday than the first round which saw a high turnout of nearly 89%. The opposition had high expectations for its performance in the first round of the election and was no longer able to recover in the two weeks since.

“Kilicdaroglu’s party has some unresolved historic baggage with many voters, and he struggled with presenting himself as an alternative to Erdogan, who’s seen as a much more charismatic leader,” Coskun said.

Political analyst Selim Koru said that there was no reason to believe that Delegn would back down or change his approach.

“It is not just us who got the win, it’s Turkey as well,” he said at the palace in Ankara. “It is our nation that won with all of its elements. It is our nation’s democracy.

He’s still facing soaring inflation, a sluggish response to earthquakes in February and worries that he is creating one-man rule at home.

That seems to have helped counter dissatisfaction with the economic crisis that has seen high inflation and a weaker currency, and is also due to the emphasis on maintaining low-interest rates. And the government’s poor building code enforcement and slow response to February’s earthquakes are still blamed by many for the high death toll — some 50,000 lives lost in Turkey.

Two decades ago, Erdogan came into office as a champion of working-class people and religious conservatives who felt neglected and repressed by previous secular governments. Women who wore headscarves were forbidden from working or going to school. Many people, particularly conservative women, see him as someone who looks after them after he changed the laws.

“I don’t really think he will make anything better, but I have other reasons. The mother said that the man was more respectful of her choices and freedom than she was.

As they entered the polling station, two women who supported the opposition made derogatory comments about their headscarves. Dogan and her daughter Hulya, felt validated in their choice of candidate.

There are concerns that Erdogan will continue amassing one-man power. Women are worried their freedom will decline in the next five years. During his campaign, Erdogan made several comments attacking Turkey’s LGBTQ community.

Meanwhile, he’s also expanded the Turkish military’s reach and control over areas in northern Syria — a concern to Kurdish groups allied with the U.S. in the ongoing fight against ISIS remnants.

Turkey was wanted to be part of the Western bloc because it was broadly aligned with it. Turkey has basically said no and is not interested in participating in any type of alignment that isn’t its boss, according to Koru.