Turkey headed for a runoff vote after President Tayyip Erdogan led over his opposition rival Kemal Kilicdaroglu in Sunday's election but fell short of an outright majority to extend his 20-year rule of the NATO-member country.

Turkey and Hungary are the only NATO members that are yet to ratify the accession of Finland and Sweden.

this particular round of municipal elections was overemphasized by President Erdogan, who presented the elections as a “matter of survival” for the Turkish state. Such weighty framing may have mobilized Erdogan’s supporters as he wished; and yet, the opposition’s victory in local municipalities is now interpreted as a strong public warning to Erdogan ...