On May 28th, Turkish voters will head back to the polls for a runoff election between incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his challenger Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. Erdogan is in a good position to win in the second round. He is supported by a party alliance of ultranationalist, fascist and Islamist parties. Kılıçdaroğlu, chair of the Republican People's Party or CHP, heads a secular-nationalist bloc and promises to reverse all forms of democratic backsliding in the country. The runoff election is held in the context of a severe economic crisis. The Turkish lira is at a record low, and the country is struggling with an inflation rate of more than 70 percent. In addition to high unemployment, the skyrocketing costs of food and rent deprive the majority of the working population of their livelihoods. Erdoğan's third candidacy is also overshadowed by the potential ban of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party or HDP. Since 2015, the Turkish government has been weakening the HDP's party organization through systematic repression. More than 15,000 leaders and members of the party have been arrested. The runoff vote is also relevant in international terms. As the southern anchor for NATO, Turkey plays a pivotal international role, due to its geopolitical location between Europe, Russia, the Middle East and Central Asia and its mediating position between Ukraine and Russia. As early as March and May of last year, Turkey initiated peace talks between the two countries.