Earthquake, refugees, Assad may be keys to Turkey's election
Also, new era of Iran-Gulf cooperation could spill over into energy (PRO).
Turkey's elections: the economy, Assad, and the earthquake
The race between incumbent president Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his opponent, opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu, is too close to call, according to an Al-Monitor/Premise poll released this week.
The economy, corruption, and refugees are top voter concerns, and it’s hard to imagine Erdogan winning hearts and minds on the first two. Mustafa Sonmez has tracked the economic crisis, including breakneck inflation, skyrocketing food and energy prices, and high unemployment, which has dominated the campaign.
A former senior diplomat with experience in Turkey observed to Al-Monitor that "what is now a current account problem will morph into a balance of payments crisis, if there is no change in fiscal or monetary policy," meaning a shift away from Erdogan's economic program.
