Local elections in Turkey: Istanbul becomes the key to the country's future. Pro-Kurdish party is likely to decide the race in Istanbul.
Kurds make up around 15 to 20 percent of Turkey's 85 million inhabitants. Erdogan's government has been cracking down on Kurdish parties since the peace process to end the decades-long uprising by the banned PKK failed in 2015. The elections are also a test of sentiment for Erdogan, who has been in office since 2014. He won the runoff elections for the presidency in Turkey in May 2023.