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ROGER BOYES

Turkey’s modern sultan shouldn’t scare us

Although Erdogan’s power-politics mimic Putin, many of his objectives are shared by the West

The Times

An analysis of coverage of the presidential elections by Turkey’s prime state broadcaster showed 105 minutes dedicated to Recep Tayyip Erdogan last month, 37 minutes to his nearest rival, and a grand 18 seconds to the Kurdish party candidate, Selahattin Demirtas. Who is also in prison. The odds then are stacked in favour of Erdogan as he seeks this weekend not only to be re-elected but also to become a president with executive authority, a modern sultan.

It is a process that mimics the rise and consolidation of the power of Vladimir Putin. Critical journalists have been muzzled, the opposition stripped of its leaders, yet still there is some resilience in Turkish democracy. Erdogan could fall short of outright victory and be forced into a