Turkish candidate Kilicdaroglu hardens stance before runoff against Erdogan

Mr. Erdogan had faced electoral headwinds because of the cost-of-living crisis and criticism over the government’s response to a devastating earthquake in February.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s main challenger in Turkey’s presidential race shifted gear and adopted a more nationalist and hard-line stance on May 18, vowing to send back millions of refugees if he is elected and rejecting any possibility of negotiating for peace with Kurdish militants.

Voters in Turkey will head back to the polls on May 28 for a runoff election after neither Mr. Erdogan nor his rival, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, won more than 50% of the votes in Sunday’s first round.

Also read: Turkey Presidential election | Erdogan’s support falls under 50%, runoff vote likely

The election will decide whether the country remains under the increasingly authoritarian president for a third decade, or can embark on a more democratic course that the opposition has promised to deliver.

Mr. Erdogan had faced electoral headwinds because of the cost-of-living crisis and criticism over the government’s response to a devastating earthquake in February. But with his alliance retaining its hold on the parliament, Mr. Erdogan is now in a good position to win in the second round.

Mr. Kilicdaroglu, the soft-mannered joint candidate of a six-party opposition alliance, had led a highly positive and uniting campaign, mostly on promises to reverse crackdowns on free speech and other forms of democratic backsliding. He had also campaigned on a pledge to repair an economy battered by high inflation and currency devaluation.

Many of the rallies of his pro-secular main opposition party, Republican People’s Party, or CHP, had ended with Mr. Kilicdaroglu making a heart shape with his hands.