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The dust has not yet settled ahead of Turkey’s elections
 Photo by Muhammed Selim Korkutata/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images.
  • Analysis
  • The dust has not yet settled ahead of Turkey’s elections

    We’re only in May but it’s safe to say that 2023 has been one of the longest years in the history of Turkish politics. The main issues in the presidential and parliamentary elections on May 14 are the deteriorating economic conditions and identity politics. For the first time in two decades President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is heading into an election not in the lead.

    May 8, 2023

    Turkey's 2023 Elections: Perspectives on a Critical Vote
    Photo by OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images
  • Analysis
  • Turkey's 2023 Elections: Perspectives on a Critical Vote

    It is a cliché for politicians to claim that an upcoming election is the most critical vote in the history of the country. In Turkey’s case, however, the presidential and parliamentary elections on May 14 are indeed the most consequential ever. The prospects for Turkey’s democratic future are at stake.

    Turkish Election Watch: The Week of April 30-May 7
    Middle East Institute
  • Commentary
  • Turkish Election Watch: The Week of April 30-May 7

    Catch up with the latest developments about Turkey’s May elections with weekly updates from MEI’s Turkey Program. In this week’s installment of Turkish Election Watch: more signs of opposition strength, the stoning of İmamoğlu’s campaign bus in Erzurum, Babacan’s economic role, and the ruling coalition takes off the gloves.

    May 8, 2023

    The Turkish Elections and the Future of Northwest Syria: Scenarios and Policy Implications
    Photo by Murat Kocabas/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
  • Analysis
  • The Turkish Elections and the Future of Northwest Syria: Scenarios and Policy Implications

    The Syrian conflict has had a major impact on Turkey’s internal political discourse, with much of the discussion centering around the conflict itself, Turkey’s role in northern Syria, and the refugee crisis. This paper employs a scenario analysis methodology to explore potential outcomes that may impact Northwestern Syria following the upcoming Turkish presidential and parliamentary elections on May 14.

    May 2, 2023

    Turkish Election Watch: The Week of April 23-30
    Photo by Burak Kara/Getty Images
  • Commentary
  • Turkish Election Watch: The Week of April 23-30

    Catch up with the latest developments about Turkey’s May elections with weekly updates from MEI’s Turkey Program. In this week’s installment of Turkish Election Watch: Erdoğan falls ill, Kılıçdaroğlu rallies in an AKP stronghold, Erdoğan dials up the culture war, concerns grow over election security, and what the polls tell us.

    Getting ahead of the Middle East’s climate refugee conundrum
    Photo by Hazem Turkia/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
  • Analysis
  • Getting ahead of the Middle East’s climate refugee conundrum

    Over the coming decades, the worsening effects of climate change will increasingly displace many millions of vulnerable people in the Middle East and North Africa, and many of these refugees will attempt to relocate to the Global North. To avert such a monumental looming problem requires pragmatic solutions and their swift implementation.

    April 26, 2023

    Turkish Election Watch: The Week of April 16-23
    Photo by Muhammed Selim Korkutata/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
  • Commentary
  • Turkish Election Watch: The Week of April 16-23

    Catch up with the latest developments about Turkey’s May elections with weekly updates from MEI’s Turkey Program. In this week’s installment of Turkish Election Watch: The Kılıçdaroğlu campaign gets exciting, Erdoğan adds natural gas discount to pre-vote handouts and dials up the tension, and the top electoral body makes a surprising decision.

    The road to Marrakech: US-China tensions loom over IMF/WB spring meetings
    Photographer: Samuel Corum/Bloomberg via Getty Images
  • Commentary
  • The road to Marrakech: US-China tensions loom over IMF/WB spring meetings

    Last week’s spring meetings of the IMF and World Bank in Washington, D.C., were an important occasion for financial and economic leaders from the MENA region to meet with their counterparts from these IFIs and major bilateral donor countries. At the same time, they serve as a lead up to the important Annual Meetings that will be held in Marrakech, Morocco, in the fall — the first time they will be hosted by an Arab or African country.

    April 20, 2023

    Naturalized Syrians are in the spotlight ahead of Turkey’s upcoming elections
    Photo by Valeria Ferraro/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
  • Analysis
  • Naturalized Syrians are in the spotlight ahead of Turkey’s upcoming elections

    The most consequential elections in Turkey’s recent history are less than a month away, set to be held on May 14. While the more than 200,000 Syrians who have been granted Turkish citizenship since their arrival in the wake of the Syrian war will not play a significant role in determining the outcome given their numbers, migration is a top campaign issue, putting them at the heart of the vote.

    April 19, 2023

    Turkish Election Watch: The Week of April 9-16
    Photo by OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images
  • Commentary
  • Turkish Election Watch: The Week of April 9-16

    Catch up with the latest developments about Turkey’s May elections with weekly updates from MEI’s Turkey Program. In this week’s installment of Turkish Election Watch: Erdoğan launches his re-election campaign, Kılıçdaroğlu announces pledges for the first 100 days, and İnce’s difficult week.

    Turkish Election Watch: The Week of April 2-9
    Photo by Murat Kula/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
  • Commentary
  • Turkish Election Watch: The Week of April 2-9

    Catch up with the latest developments about Turkey’s May elections with weekly updates from MEI’s Turkey Program. In this week’s installment of Turkish Election Watch: Kiliçdaroğlu and the carpet, Erdoğan talks tough to the Americans again, attacks on opposition parties, and coalition politics and the parliamentary elections.

    April 10, 2023