We began planning the cover for this week’s Guardian Weekly magazine wondering if it would mark the end of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s long political career. But it soon became clear that predictions of the Turkish president’s demise had been greatly misjudged. A first-round victory over his secular opponent, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, did not come by a wide enough margin to prevent a runoff vote on 28 May. But, barring a remarkable swing back to Kılıçdaroğlu, the indications are that Erdoğan will further extend his 20-year authoritarian brand of rule over Turkey.
Guardian reporters Ruth Michaelson and Jon Henley reflect on last Sunday’s result, while Archie Bland explains why the election was so important and what happens now. To round off, we consider the plight of Turkey’s large population of Syrian refugees, who are facing a bleak future regardless of who emerges victorious in the election.
