Turkey Presidential Election Heads to Runoff as Erdoğan Faces Toughest Challenge of 2-Decade Rule
Turkey's closely watched presidential election is headed to a May 28 runoff, as both incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdoan and his main rival fell short of the 50% needed to win outright in Sunday's vote. Erdoan is facing his toughest challenge since coming to power 20 years ago, as opposition candidate Kemal Klcdarolu leads a broad coalition in a bid to unseat him amid criticism for his administration's economic policies, weakening Turkey's democracy and poor response to the deadly February earthquakes. Klcdarolu has vowed closer ties with NATO and the EU and to reinforce democratic institutions. We get an update from Istanbul with Turkish historian Kaya Genc, who says Erdoan's political survival was a stunning comeback" that contradicted polls predicting a comfortable first-round victory for Klcdarolu. This was a total shock for the Turkish establishment," he says.