Kılıçdaroğlu Surpasses Erdoğan in Turkish Election Polls

The situation has improved for Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, who challenges President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as the main rival in Turkey's upcoming presidential election next week. In fact, with the sudden withdrawal of a candidate from a small party and the results of a poll showing Kılıçdaroğlu with over a five percent lead, this rival's position against Erdoğan has been further strengthened. According to Reuters, the withdrawal of Muharrem İnce, one of the four candidates participating in the presidential election on Sunday, could change the election landscape in the final days of the campaign. The upcoming election is considered Erdoğan's biggest test in two decades of his rule. The main Turkish stock index jumped 6 percent with the news of İnce's exit. He announced his withdrawal in front of his party's headquarters in Ankara. Given that Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the main rival of the Turkish president, has committed to reversing Erdoğan's unconventional economic policies, financial markets are poised for a surge. A poll conducted by the Konda Center shows Erdoğan with 43.7 percent support and Kılıçdaroğlu with 49.3 percent among voters. This indicates that the election between these two is likely to go to a second round, scheduled for May 28. This poll was conducted before İnce's withdrawal was announced. Erdoğan's efforts to win the election have been complicated by skyrocketing living costs resulting from the depreciation of the lira and rising inflation, as well as the devastating earthquake in February that killed over 50,000 people in Turkey and left millions homeless.