Turkey’s Erdogan Kicks Off Toughest Election Campaign of His 20-Year Rule

(Bloomberg) --Most Read from BloombergTurkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan officially kicked off the toughest election campaign of his career on Friday, with the broadest-ever opposition alliance standing between him and a third decade in power. Erdogan brought elections forward by more than a month to May 14 from the original date of June 18, despite twin earthquakes devastating much of the country’s southeast last month. As his government engages in rebuilding cities leveled by Feb. 6 temblors, Erdogan said delaying elections would risk hampering the reconstruction work. On election day, candidates need more than 50% of votes to win in the first round; otherwise they face a runoff two weeks later. Why Turkey’s Next Election Is a Real Test for Erdogan: QuickTake(Updates with remarks from Erdogan starting from second paragraph)Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek©2023 Bloomberg L.P.