Ahead of a critical election Turkey’s economy is running on borrowed time

Source:The Economist Date:27Mar2023

The poor state of the economy, compounded by the impact of the earthquakes that killed over 50,000 people in the country’s south in early February, has darkened Mr Erdogan’s election prospects. Opinion polls now show Turkey’s leader trailing the opposition’s joint candidate for president, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, by four or more points. For a populist strongman who enjoys the perks of a servile news media and control over the country’s institutions, that deficit is hardly insurmountable. But it is the biggest hole Mr Erdogan has faced ahead of any major election.