When the votes were counted Sunday, Erdogan came out on top with 52.1% of the ballots. Challenger Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu only secured 47.9% of votes.

Todd Nettleton with The Voice of the Martyrs USA says, “The status quo has been protected in this election. [Voters decided,] ‘We’re going to keep the leader we have; we’re going to keep moving in the direction we’re moving,’ which in the case of Türkiye is a more Islamic direction.”

Turkish flag (Photo courtesy of Meg Jerrard/Unsplash)

It doesn’t change much for believers. Nettleton explains, “Most persecution in Türkiye is not coming from the government level. Mostly it is coming at the family level [or] at the employment level. So, in that sense, this doesn’t make a difference in terms of persecution; but Erdogan has taken Türkiye in a less secular, more Islamic direction, and he is promising to do that even further over the next five years.”

At the same time, Türkiye’s many challenges present opportunities for believers.

For example, Christians were on the ground immediately after the catastrophic earthquakes in southern Türkiye, giving food and shelter in the name of Jesus.

“For most Turks, being Muslim is a part of being Turkish; they see the two as being hand-in-hand, so to be helped by Turkish Christians is a very eye-opening experience. They’re like, ‘Wait a minute. So, you’re Turkish, and you’re a follower of Jesus. How did that happen? How did that work?’”

Pray believers will be courageous and use these opportunities to share the Gospel.

Header photo of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, courtesy of Pixabay.

Some thought current president Recep Tayyip Erdogan would make a clean sweep for re-election. Others thought the crumbling economy and earthquake controversies meant Turkiye was primed for new leadership with Kemal Kilicdaroglu.

Now? It’s anyone’s guess.

Bruce Allen with FMI says, “There is a bit of this uncertainty. People are left dangling in the country, and that uncertainty is having ripple effects. Even across the economy, stocks and bond prices fell on Monday after the inconclusive vote and the inflation rate is running out of hand.”

(Photo courtesy of Olga Subach/Unsplash)

In terms of the religious landscape, Erdogan promotes Turkiye’s Islamic values and has become increasingly authoritarian.

Kilicdaroglu, on the other hand, presents a different perspective outside the norms of Turkiye’s Muslim population as he is Alevi. Allen explains, “Alevis are not considered Muslims by the Sunni Muslim population — and that’s what most Turks are. They generally would not consider Alevis to be Muslim. Alevis do not pray five times a day, they do not observe Ramadan, nor do they go on a pilgrim pilgrimage to Mecca. So there are some striking differences between Sunni Islam and Alevis.

“The Alevi faith is essentially a combination, as far as I can see, of Gnosticism, Islamic Sufism, and elements of Christianity. So because of those quasi-Christian elements of the religion — and because they too, like Christians, are a minority in the country — Alevis are much more moderate in their relations to Christians.”

Especially from a religious perspective, Allen says, “The outcome of this election can have great significance.”

The run-off election will be on May 28. But FMI Christian leaders in Turkiye report there’s a sense of exhaustion and even hopelessness among some.

Allen says, “That hopelessness has been an intriguing aspect for our church planters and disciple makers to be working in, because people are saying, ‘Where can we find hope? Where is our stability and our anchor?’ And they’re able to respond, ‘It’s only in Jesus Christ. Politics will not be our salvation. Jesus is.’”

As the nation endures another week and a half of political speculation, our Turkish Christian brothers and sisters have a simple request: “Pray for the people of Turkiye to yearn for the truth.”

Also, Allen says, “They’ve asked that whoever wins, pray that the government’s decisions [and] practices will not interfere with the work of the Church.”

Header photo courtesy of Element5 Digital/Pexels.

Joe Willey with SAT-7 explains, “Turkiye is a republic with a parliamentary system. So there is the president or the executive branch; there’s a parliamentary branch, which would be the legislative branch; and then there is the judiciary branch. So that is a similar system and, at least ostensibly, it should be familiar to people in the West, particularly familiar to people in the UK or in the United States.”

Current President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been in power for more than two decades and is seeking re-election. Erdogan champions Turkiye’s Islamic values and has steered the country away from Western influence.

The main challenger for president, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, is a secular candidate calling for more freedom and democracy, and has promised to strengthen Turkiye’s ties with the West.

Sultanahmet, Turkiye (Photo courtesy of Fatih Yurur/Unsplash)

It’s a stark contrast, and the outcome of this election will have significant ripple effects down the years for this nation at a cultural crossroads.

Willey says, “It is, as I see it, a blending of cultures. It’s a land bridge with Istanbul and the Dardanelles on the West of the country. You have what is a very different Eastern influence on the East of the country, and the recent earthquakes that struck Turkiye and Syria were in the Southeastern part of the country.”

SAT-7 TURK broadcasts Christian programming via satellite television into Turkiye. In this Muslim-dominant nation, Christians are vastly outnumbered only making up around 0.2% of the population.

“SAT-7 Turk is truly ministering to what we at SAT-7 have called isolated believers. Isolated believers are those who are deeply committed to Christ, they’re deeply committed to their Christian faith, but they are in nations that are not considered Christian nations…. So SAT-7 is really reaching and filling a great need to encourage and disciple believers in Turkiye that otherwise would not have the support.”

These isolated believers are also serving as the hands and feet of Christ, especially in the wake of a devastating earthquake in February that killed over 50,000 people in Turkiye and Syria.

Churches in Turkiye went to quake-hit areas with emergency food and supplies, and even helped survivors dig through the rubble for loved ones.

The hope these Christians can offer through the Gospel is the greatest hope Turks can embrace — no matter the outcome of the presidential elections!

SAT-7 TURK (Photo courtesy of SAT-7)

Willey asks, “Pray that with the upcoming elections, as any nation that is having elections, we would pray that there would be a smooth transition, that those that are voting would be safe and free to cast their ballot. We are also praying for the nation, that there would be an acceptance of Christianity and Christians in Turkiye.

“Also, as in any country, there are disputes between different factions. We’re praying that those disputes would be handled peacefully, and we’re also praying that the rights of Christians, the rights of other religious minorities would be honored by the government.”

Learn more about SAT-7’s ministry.

Header photo of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, courtesy of Pixabay.