Turkey faces what some say will be the most important elections in its recent history. What's at stake is nothing less than Turkey’s already troubled democratic system. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wants to use these elections to introduce an unencumbered presidential system that will make him the country’s sole leader who is only nominally answerable to parliament.
Given his blatantly authoritarian tendencies, many Turks are worried about the prospect that Erdogan may have his way if the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), which he once headed and whose “spiritual leader” he remains, should win a major victory.