Turkey’s longtime president to face down main rival in runoff as uncertainty looms

Turkish election officials said Monday that in two weeks conservative President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will face his main rival in a runoff that will decide who leads a country struggling with sky-high inflation as it plays a key role in the Middle East and in NATO expansion.

The May 28 second round of presidential elections following Sunday’s vote will allow Turkey to decide if the nation remains under the increasingly authoritarian president’s firm grip for a third decade, or if it can embark on the more democratic course that Kemal Kilicdaroglu has claimed he can deliver.

The vote shows how Turkey has become extremely polarized, many voters said.

“I am not happy at all,” voter Suzan Devletsah said. “I worry about the future of Turkey.”

Erdogan faced electoral headwinds due to a cost-of-living crisis and criticism over the government’s response to a devastating February earthquake. But with his alliance retaining its hold on the parliament, Erdogan