2023 marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Turkish Republic and brings with it one of the most critical elections in Turkey’s recent history. In around ten days voters will head to the polls to choose both the next president and the next parliament. The ballot for president includes two main candidates. One is Recep Tayip Erdoğan, the current president, who has been in power for over 20 years and has the backing of both his own party and an additional nationalist political party. The other is the soft-spoken Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, under whose leadership a collaboration of six different political parties representing a wide range of ideologies has formed.

It is impossible to predict the results of this election. Society in Turkey is extremely polarized; both sides seem to have similarly sized voting bases making undecided votes very influential. Out of respect for the earthquake victims and their families, political campaigning has been much more muted than in previous election years. Some of the factors at the forefront of debate in the lead-up to voting on Sunday, May 14th include Turkey’s ailing economy and the response and aftermath of the devastating twin earthquakes on February 6th.

Turkey’s position in the world, both geographically and politically, makes the results of this election significant not only on a national but on a global scale. The peninsula of Anatolia sits at the crossroads between Asia and Europe, a position that has always given it an important role in history. The modern Turkish Republic occupies the entirety of Anatolia and among her geographic neighbors are Ukraine, Russia, and Syria. The outcome of this election will also greatly impact Turkey’s relations with NATO and the European Union.

If you’d like to learn more about the details of this election and some of the factors at stake, you may click on the picture to view this 13-minute summary.

Such a pivotal election warrants fervent prayer. While we don’t know the future, we know the one who does. He is the God who arranges governments and leaders according to his will and for the sake of his glory. He knows under what circumstances the Church in Turkey will most flourish. As it says in Psalm 20:7, “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.”

We invite you to join the Church in Turkey by using this worship song as a prayer over the election process standing in agreement for the blessing of the nation. The chorus states: