Turkey Election Runoff: Erdogan could loose, but will he play dirty again ?

On May 28, Turkey heads to a runoff presidential election pitting incumbent Recep Tayyip Erdogan against his main rival Kemal Kilicdaroglu. Erdogan, who defied poll predictions in the first round, looks favorite to win. 

Erdogan’s supporters are relying on fake news to get votes.

The tone of the ongoing campaigns in Turkey is heating up ahead of the upcoming runoff vote between incumbent Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his challenger Kemal Kilicdaroglu.

While the government camp seems to be using all means necessary to defame the opposition and portray its presidential candidate as a traitor, Kilicdaroglu too is going on the offensive.

Read more at: https://www.dw.com

Turkey elections : more than just a change of Government

On May 14, Turkey will elect a new parliament and a new president. And after 20 years in power, the incumbent president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is not the clear favorite. The polls also show his electoral alliance trailing behind that of the opposition.

What is Turkey's political system?

According to its constitution, the Turkish Republic was established in 1923 as a parliamentary democracy. Erdogan, however, was keen to change this — and in 2017, his governing AKP party amended the constitution with the support of its ultra-nationalist partner, the MHP.

They introduced an executive presidential system with the 2018 elections. Since then, the president has not only the country's head of state, he also heads the government. The office of prime minister has been abolished.

The president is directly elected by the people for a five-year term, and under the new system he has wide-ranging powers. He appoints and dismisses ministers and high-ranking civil servants at his own discretion, and he also heads the cabinet.

The head of state also has the power to issue presidential decrees and to fill many posts in the judiciary, as well as in specific departments such as finance or education. The most important offices of the secret service and the powerful religious authority Diyanet also report directly to the president.

Read more at: https://www.dw.com

Turkey: can Erdogan pull it off one more time ?

A talented orator and wily politician credited with lifting millions of Turks into the middle class, Recep Tayyip Erdogan transformed the country as only Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of the Turkish Republic, accomplished before him. The 69-year-old Turkish president is now running for a third term. But the upcoming presidential election in May is no cakewalk for the seasoned politician with polls suggesting he could be defeated by opposition candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu. 

A profound economic crisis coupled with skyrocketing inflation, deep political tensions and mounting anger over his handling of the February 6 earthquakes, which killed more than 50,000 people, could cost Erdogan his place in the Ak Saray presidential palace. Turkish political scientist and publisher Ahmet Insel spoke to FRANCE 24 about Erdogan’s political legacy and the stakes in the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections. 

Read the complete report in https://www.france24.com/en/vod/latest-news

Turkey: Erdogans reelection as President of Turkey not certain

If civil servants in Ankara are an accurate barometer of shifting fronts in Turkey’s national politics, then the country’s longest serving leader, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, really could be in trouble in May’s election.

The main opposition, the Republican People’s Party (CHP), says bureaucrats are already sending in their resumes in preparation for a new order, sensing that this could be the end of Erdoğan’s more-than-two-decade dominance over the state.

That would be a relief to many in the West, who are increasingly frustrated by the Islamist populist’s confrontational statesmanship in a strategic heavyweight of 85 million people. In the past months alone, Turkey has quietly provided Russia with clandestine trade routes to beat sanctions, imposed a veto on Sweden’s entry into NATO and engaged Greece in high-risk brinkmanship with fighter jets over the Aegean.

Read more at: https://www.politico.eu/article/turkey-2023-election-erdogan-close-call-republican-peoples-party-turkey-sweden-akp-chp-kilicdaroglu-fahrettin-altun/

Brasil: Similarities in rightwing presidential election demonstrations in Brasil and US

On Sunday, demonstrators supporting Brazil's nationalist former President Jair Bolsonaro stormed Congress and government buildings in Brasilia to overturn an election which brought leftist leader Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to power earlier this month.

The rioters ransacked political buildings -- while parading the Brazilian flag with its motto 'ordem e progresso', 'order and progress' -- in a botched attempt to reverse the peaceful transfer of power.

The biggest assault on Brazil's democracy in decades, news of Sunday's uprising has sent shockwaves around the world. But what has most alarmed many are the echoes of the US uprising almost exactly two years prior, when supporters of Republican ex-President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol in Washington DC on 6 January in an attempt to prevent Joe Biden from taking office.

Read more at: https://www.euronews.com

USA; Donald Trump - what now, after very poor showing midterm elections of his promoted candidates

Donald Trump's own-party rivals have tossed every rebuke imaginable at him and it's never stuck: Crazy, a kook, a race-baiting bigot, a Russian plant, a narcissist, amoral, a pathological liar, a threat to the republic.

It's never made a dent

Read more at: http://www.cbc.com

 

France: Victorious Macron vows to unite France after fending off Le Pen threat

The pro-European centrist Emmanuel Macron has vowed to unite a divided France after winning a second term as French president in a decisive victory against the far-right’s Marine Le Pen, who nonetheless won more than 13 million votes in a historic high for her anti-immigration party.

Macron became the first French leader to win re-election for 20 years, scoring 58.54% to Le Pen’s 41.46%.

Addressing a victory rally at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, where his supporters waved French and European flags, Macron vowed to respond “efficiently” to the “anger and disagreement” of voters who chose the far right.

Read more at: Victorious Macron vows to unite France after fending off Le Pen threat | French presidential election 2022 | The Guardian

France: French election 2022: Voting under way in presidential runoff

French voters are casting their ballot in the presidential runoff to choose between centrist incumbent Emmanuel Macron and far-right politician Marine Le Pen.

Opinion polls suggest that Macron, 44, has a solid lead, but analysts have cautioned that low turnout could sway the outcome in either direction. About 48.7 million citizens are eligible to vote.

Read more at: French election 2022: Voting under way in presidential runoff | News | Al Jazeera

France: French election: Macron and Le Pen clash in TV presidential debate - by Henri Astier & Paul Kirby

Far-right leader Marine Le Pen has fallen behind centrist Emmanuel Macron in the opinion polls but millions of voters are still undecided.

It did not take long for the two-hour-45-minute clash to burst into life. The candidates confronted each other on the cost of living, Russia, climate change and immigration.

Around 15.6 million viewers watched the debate, in which Mr Macron accused his rival of being dependent on Russian power while Marine Le Pen called him a hypocrite on climate change.

Spiralling prices have dominated the campaign and immediately took centre stage in the debate.

Read more at: French election: Macron and Le Pen clash in TV presidential debate - BBC News

USA: Generic Congressional Ballot - Democrats in deep trouble

The 2022 midterm elections are now 263 days away, and Republicans have a 13-point lead in their bid to recapture control of Congress.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that, if the elections for Congress were held today, 50% of Likely U.S. Voters would vote for the Republican candidate, while 37% would vote for the Democrat. Just four percent (4%) would vote for some other candidate, but another nine percent (9%) are not sure.

Read more at: https://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/mood_of_america/generic_congressional_ballot_feb18?utm_campaign=RR02202022DN&utm_source=criticalimpact&utm_medium=email

Germany: Five key takeaways from Germany's historic election

Germany's left-leaning Social Democratic Party (SPD) won the largest share of the vote in Sunday's federal election, putting them in pole position to form the country's next coalition government -- but they could be in for some tricky negotiations.

Read more at: Five key takeaways from Germany's historic election

Brazil: Arrested, killed or victory: Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro on his future

Brazilian far-right President Jair Bolsonaro on Saturday said he sees three alternatives for his future: winning the 2022 presidential elections, death or prison.

"I have three alternatives for my future: being arrested, killed or victory," he said, in remarks to a meeting of evangelical leaders. Bolsonaro later added that the first option is out of question. "No man on Earth will threaten me."

Bolsonaro's remarks come as he has been questioning Brazil's electronic voting system and threatened not to accept the results of next year's presidential election. He has been calling for the adoption of printed receipts, saying that electronic ballots are vulnerable to fraud.

Read more at: Arrested, killed or victory: Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro on his future

Hungary′s Viktor Orban faces challenge from Budapest mayor

Budapest's liberal Mayor Gergely Karacsony on Saturday declared his plan to contest joint opposition primaries in September and October, hoping to become top challenger to Viktor Orban in general elections due next April.

Read more at: Hungary′s Viktor Orban faces challenge from Budapest mayor | News | DW | 15.05.2021

EU: Germany’s super-election year is a wild card – by Knut Dethlefsen

The Merkel era of German politics is over. After 16 years as chancellor, Angela Merkel will forgo another run for office and she leaves the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) much the way she found it—riven by political strife and haunted by corruption scandals. With six state elections as well as the Bundestag general election in September, 2021 will be a year of profound change in German politics.

The early results in two state elections in mid-March offer tantalising clues as to what might be in store. Voters in Rhineland-Palatinate and Baden-Württemberg went to the polls on March 14th, respectively delivering a repeat social-democrat (SPD) victory and the return of the Greens.

Rerad more at: Germany’s super-election year is a wild card – Knut Dethlefsen

Netherlands election: Mark Rutte set to win big – but what next?

The outgoing prime minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, appears headed for a comprehensive victory and fourth successive term in office as the Dutch go to the polls in national elections on Monday, with voting spread over three days due to coronavirus restrictions.

Polls predict Rutte, who has headed three coalition governments of different political complexions since 2010, and his centre-right People’s party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) will win twice as many parliamentary seats as his nearest rival

Read more at: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/15/netherlands-election-mark-rutte-set-to-win-big-but-what-next

Spain: Catalonia elections: Has the result made independence more likely?

Elections in Spain's Catalonia region have given Catalonia separatists a shot in the arm, leading to renewed calls for an independence referendum.

Three pro-independence parties secured over half of the vote in elections for the first time, winning 74 seats.

Read more at: Catalonia elections: Has the result made independence more likely? | Euronews

The Netherlands: Dutch PM Rutte to seek fourth term

Liberal Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has confirmed he will seek a fourth term in office, wanting to continue steering the Netherlands through the coronavirus pandemic.

Dutch elections are set for March 17 next year.

Read more at: Dutch PM Rutte to seek fourth term | Macau Business

USA - Presidential elections: Can Trump really stage a coup? Experts weigh in on whether it's possible - Nicole Karlis

For the first time in history, an incumbent president is refusing to concede after clearly and indisputably losing a presidential election. That's making observers, citizens, and experts nervous that Trump may be preparing to stage a coup of some sort, or perhaps call again on his supporters to commit violence to sustain his rule.

Read more at: Can Trump really stage a coup? Experts weigh in on whether it's possible

Russia-US relations: What Does Putin Have on Trump? - by Frank Vogt

 A rare moment of bipartisanship of today’s hyper-partisan Washington -- and what it means for Russia, President Trump and holding clean elections on November 3.

Read more at:
https://www.theglobalist.com/united-states-republican-party-donald-trump-russia-2016-presidential-elections-corruption-deutsche-bank/

Italy - elections: Salvini faces setback in Italian regional election

The Italian far-right leader had focused heavily on campaigning in the Emilia-Romagna region.

Read  more at;
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-51259290