Financial TimesFinancial Times

Turkey election: Erdoğan faces his greatest challenge yet

By Adam Samson and Andrew England

09 May 2023 · 10 min read

Editor's Note

Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, is "battling for his political survival" as he faces his biggest challenge at the ballot box since coming to power two-decades ago, reports the FT.

There was a moment when Turkey’s election debate came down to an onion and a warship. 

It began when Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the man leading the charge to break President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s grip over Turkish politics, sat at his kitchen table last month, his shirt collar open, sleeves rolled up, and held up an onion.

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