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The World Next Week

Momentous Elections in Turkey and Thailand, Black Sea Grain Initiative, and More

The World Next Week

Council on Foreign Relations

Politics, News, News:politics

4.6845 Ratings

🗓️ 11 May 2023

⏱️ 28 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan faces off with opposition leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu in Turkey’s presidential election; Thais vote in their first general election since 2019; the Black Sea grain deal faces possible expiration; international film makers step forward at the Cannes Film Festival; and Ukraine fends off Russia’s recent drone attack.   Mentioned on the Podcast   Steven Cook, “What if Kemal Kilicdaroglu Wins Turkey’s Election?,” Foreign Policy   For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/momentous-elections-turkey-and-thailand-black-sea-grain-initiative-and-more

Transcript

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0:00.0

In the coming week, Turkey holds its presidential election.

0:06.0

Ties head to the polls for their general election,

0:09.0

and the future of the Black Sea Grain Initiative is at stake once again.

0:12.0

It's May 11, 2023 in time for the world next week. I'm Bob McMahon.

0:27.4

And I'm Carl Ann Robbins.

0:29.5

So Bob, great to see you.

0:31.1

Let's begin in Turkey.

0:33.2

We've discussed the multiple domestic and international stakes in Turkey's presidential election,

0:38.3

and on Sunday, Turkish voters are finally going to choose between the autocratic incumbent

0:43.0

Recep Taip Erdogan and his main challenger, let's see if I can get this right, Kamal Kellej

0:49.3

Delage Darolo, who's promising to restore democratic norms. Erdogan has held onto power for two decades,

0:55.8

but he's facing high inflation and devastating earthquake, which seems to have at least weakened

1:00.3

his hold on power. Could this finally be the end of the Erdogan dynasty?

1:05.5

That is the burning question, and it certainly is, according to all close Turkey watchers that I've seen and read in the past

1:13.8

couple of weeks. This is the most credible challenge that Erdogan has faced in a while. And it's

1:19.7

because of a combination of things, which you referred to, in some parts of the country, ongoing

1:25.6

outrage at the way the government had sort of dealt with building codes and the sort of the cronyism that led to faulty building codes and crumbling structures under the earthquake. The earthquake has been devastating.

1:38.3

And some government officials have admitted problems. Erdogan has been quick to say he is the one who is able to come in and

1:44.7

truly write some of these places and get them rebuilt and so forth. But still in all,

1:49.7

the earthquake is a sore point. Broader issues involve the stewardship of the economy,

1:54.7

where Erdogan's policies have been quixotic in some ways, certainly, including his

1:59.8

aversion to higher interest rates, which are seen as a

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