Turkish Citizens in Erbil Cast Votes in Presidential Elections Amid Erdogan's Toughest Challenge

Shafaq News/ Turkish citizens residing in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region, participated in the Turkish presidential elections on Friday, casting their votes for their preferred candidates.

According to Shafaq News agency correspondent, the Turkish authorities opened polling stations in their embassy in Baghdad and their consulates in Erbil and Basra for Turkish citizens residing in Iraq.

The eligible voters are 5,741 Turkish citizens living in Iraq, with 3,834 voting in Erbil's consulate polling station.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan faces his toughest challenge in the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections.

His opponent, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who heads the secular, center-left Republican People's Party (CHP), holds a slight lead in most opinion polls.

The presidential race may be decided in a runoff vote on May 28.

Erdogan is grappling with public outrage over rising inflation and criticism of his handling of the February 6 earthquake in southern Turkey, which killed over 50,000 people and left millions homeless.

His critics accuse the government of slow response and inadequate enforcement of building codes, contributing to the high death toll.