Introduction: Two Paths for a Nation on Two Continents

The first round of the Turkish Presidential elections are on Sunday, May 14th, Erdogan having chosen to call early elections instead of holding them during the general election in June. The main candidates are Turkiye's long-time leader President Recep Erdogan of the Justice and Development Party [AKP] and Kemal Kilicdaroglu of the of the Republican People's Party [CHP] who is representing a coalition of six opposition groups known as the "Nation Alliance" or "Table of Six." Neither candidate is expected to win over 50% in the first round, and the May 28th runoff is in a dead heat. In 2017 there was a referendum on constitutional reform within Turkiye which greatly expanded the power of the Presidency, and this is Erdogan's first re-election campaign after serving in the newly empowered position.