On Sunday, Turkey will go to the polls in what many consider the most important election in decades. Still suffering the impacts of the deadliest earthquake in centuries and facing a deep economic crisis, Turkish voters are divided between the current president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and the main opposition leader, Kemal Kilicdaroglu.
In Photos: Struggles in Turkey Divide Voters
- By Yan Boechat
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Like most of the Syrian refugees in Turkey, Samar is afraid of being deported back to Syria if the opposition wins the election. With more than 3.5 million Syrians living in Turkey, immigration has become a central issue in the election. Sakarya, on May 10, 2023. (Yan Boechat/VOA)
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In the earthquake-affected areas in southeast Turkey, the election campaign is taking place as in any other part of the country. In Nurdagi, on May 12, 2023. (Yan Boechat/VOA)
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Thousands of families are still living in tents or camps in the cities that were affected by the earthquake in February. In Nurdagi, on May 12, 2023. (Yan Boechat/VOA)
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A condemned building is being demolished in the city of Nurdagi, in Gaziantep province, May 12, 2023. Months after an earthquake killed more than 50,000 people in Turkey and neighboring Syria, many buildings like this are yet to be demolished. (Yan Boechat/VOA)
