Erdogan or Kilicdaroglu: Turkey to choose in election run-off

After months of campaigning by two dozen political parties, four presidential candidates and a bewildering lineup of electoral alliances, Turkish voters head to the polls, again, on Sunday, to make a critical choice between two men.

The presidential run-off between incumbent Recep Tayyip Erdogan and opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu marks the final moment in what has been widely billed as Turkey’s most important election in recent history.

The election period, which officially started on March 18, has seen numerous twists and turns, the most dramatic being Erdogan confounding opinion polls predictions to finish ahead of Kilicdaroglu but narrowly missing out on winning his third presidential term in the first round.

Since the initial vote on May 14 – held alongside parliamentary elections that saw Erdogan’s party and its allies secure 323 out of 600 seats – the level of electioneering has been scaled back with both candidates forgoing the mass rallies seen previously.

Erdogan has been buoyed by his showing in the first round, when he took 49.52 percent of the votes to Kilicdaroglu’s 44.88 percent.

“Tomorrow, let’s all go to the polls together for the Great Turkey Victory,” he tweeted on Saturday. “Let’s echo the will that was manifested in the parliament on May 14 to the presidency much more strongly this time. Let’s start the Century of Turkey with our votes.”

As well as extending his 20-year rule by another five years, a win for Erdogan would see him take the country past the centenary of its foundation in October.