ANKARA, Turkey – Soaring inflation left his people feeling poorer. His government was accused of botching its response to catastrophic earthquakes that killed more than 50,000 people just three months ago. And he faced a newly unified opposition that promised to reverse his steady drift toward one-man rule.
Despite all of that, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan came out with a lead over his main challenger in Turkish elections, according to official results released Monday. Although he fell just short of an outright majority, sending the nation to a runoff May 28, there are strong signs pointing to yet another Erdogan victory in that vote.