Daily News Brief

May 15, 2023

Top of the Agenda

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan won 49.5 percent of votes (Al Jazeera) in Sunday’s presidential election, leading his main challenger, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, by more than 4 percent, according to results confirmed by Turkey’s High Election Board. The results will trigger the first runoff election in Turkey’s history, to be held on May 28, as neither candidate managed to win 50 percent of the vote. Erdoğan’s coalition in Turkey’s legislature appears set to keep its congressional majority.

The race was one of the tightest presidential contests in Turkey’s history, and turnout surpassed 88 percent, state-run media reported. Turkey’s opposition criticized a slowdown (Al-Monitor) in results reporting on Sunday. 

Analysis

“Erdogan’s greatest strength is his control of information. Given his overwhelming influence over the Turkish media and the fact that around 80 percent of the population is unable to read languages other than Turkish, shaping the message has become one of his most powerful tools for winning votes,” the Washington Institute’s Soner Cagaptay writes for Foreign Affairs. 

“Sunday’s result marks a huge win for Erdogan,” the Eurasia Group’s Emre Peker said in a note. “The president is likely to ride his strong approval rating, surprise win in parliament, and incumbency advantages to secure reelection in the run-off.” 

Pacific Rim

Opposition parties Move Forward and Pheu Thai won a combined 58 percent of seats (Nikkei) in Thailand’s lower legislative body in Sunday’s general election. Their victory could trigger a power struggle with the military-controlled Senate. 

For the Asia Unbound blog, CFR’s Joshua Kurlantzick looks at the results of Thailand’s pivotal election.

China: Authorities gave a life sentence (SCMP) to a 78-year-old U.S. citizen who holds permanent residency in Hong Kong after convicting him of espionage. 

South and Central Asia

The opposition Indian National Congress party will lead the government (Bloomberg) of the southern state of Karnataka, despite several campaign stops there by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Myanmar: At least six people were reported dead after Cyclone Mocha made landfall yesterday (BBC).

Middle East and North Africa

The cease-fire came into effect late Saturday and has largely remained in place (Times of Israel). A rocket was launched from the Gaza Strip toward Israel on Sunday, but both sides held fire afterward.

Egypt: The government sold a 9.5 percent stake (The National) in the state-run company Telecom Egypt as part of a campaign to revitalize the economy by selling state assets. Egypt’s currency has lost more than half its value since last March.

Sub-Saharan Africa

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana said South Africa is unlikely to face punitive actions (Bloomberg) from the United States over allegations that Pretoria sent arms to Russia. 

Mali: The ruling military government rejected a UN human rights report (Reuters) that found that Malian soldiers and unidentified foreign fighters executed at least five hundred people during an operation last March.

Europe

The package, which includes tanks and air defense systems (NYT), is almost equivalent in value to the entirety of German military aid to Ukraine since the war began in February 2022.

Americas

Preliminary government data found that deforestation fell 68 percent (Reuters) in April 2023 from the previous year. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has pledged to reduce deforestation after it soared under his predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro.

This Backgrounder looks at what countries are doing to protect the Amazon Rainforest.

Paraguay: The incumbent Colorado Party bought the votes of some Indigenous voters in last month’s presidential election, according to New York Times reporters who witnessed the vote-buying. A victorious Colorado Party candidate admitted to paying cash to Indigenous people, but not to attempting to influence their votes. 

United States

The Department of Justice is investigating an increase in crimes committed on cryptocurrency platforms, including scams and money laundering, Director of National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Eun Young Choi told the Financial Times.

This Explainer video looks at whether cryptocurrencies are still the future of money.

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