Turkey's Historic Runoff Election: Erdogan's Biggest Challenge Yet.

Polls have opened in Turkey for the presidential runoff between President Erdogan and opposition leader Kilicdaroglu. Erdogan fell short of the 50% threshold needed to win in the first round of voting on May 14. Many polls had incorrectly predicted that Kilicdaroglu would lead in the first round. The opposition has described the election as a last stand for Turkish democracy, accusing Erdogan of hollowing out the country’s democratic institutions during his 20-year rule, eroding the power of the judiciary and repressing dissent. Erdogan also faces headwinds from a floundering economy and a shambolic initial response to a catastrophic earthquake on February 6 which claimed more than 50,000 lives in Turkey and neighboring Syria.