Turkey elections, war in Ukraine, new protectionism, Eurovision
05/12/23 • 43 min
A final rally for a nail-biting finish in Istanbul, back where he started out as mayor. Turkey's leader of two decades is trailing in the polls, but within the margin of error. Recep Tayep Erdogan is facing high inflation, the anger surrounding February's devastating earthquakes, and an opposition that has coalesced. His opponent, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, was boosted by the eleventh-hour withdrawal of 2018 runner-up Muharrem Ince, who ran as a third-party candidate, and who threw in the towel on Thursday.
And across the Black Sea, they are bracing for battle. With so much of Russia's military now at the front, Moscow’s Red Square saw a scaled-down May 9 Victory Day parade this year. Although Russia’s President Vladimir Putin did manage to convince leaders of seven former Soviet states to drop in, including some that have kept their distance from his “special military operation”. In Kyiv, May 9 was marked with the president of the EU Commission coming to celebrate Europe Day alongside the president of EU candidate country Ukraine.
On the other side of the Atlantic, Joe Biden says he is relishing the prospect of running as the anti-Trump again in 2024. But the US president is often on a similar wavelength: talking tough on China, shoring up the border with Mexico and has delivered on his own version of "America First" by introducing massive green energy subsidies that are tempting European companies to move their business stateside. France's president is now trying to fight fire with fire. Emmanuel Macron has visited the French rust belt city of Dunkirk for the launch of a giant battery factory by Taiwanese ProLogium and another by Chinese maker XTC.
And it’s that time of year when a whole continent indulges in a special kind of guilty pleasure: the Eurovision song contest. Dateline Liverpool, by the banks of the Mersey. The home of the Beatles decked out in a lot of blue and yellow. That’s because last year's winner, Ukraine, is not in a position to host the event itself.
Produced by Alessandro Xenos, Juliette Laurain, Louise Guibert
A final rally for a nail-biting finish in Istanbul, back where he started out as mayor. Turkey's leader of two decades is trailing in the polls, but within the margin of error. Recep Tayep Erdogan is facing high inflation, the anger surrounding February's devastating earthquakes, and an opposition that has coalesced. His opponent, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, was boosted by the eleventh-hour withdrawal of 2018 runner-up Muharrem Ince, who ran as a third-party candidate, and who threw in the towel on Thursday.
And across the Black Sea, they are bracing for battle. With so much of Russia's military now at the front, Moscow’s Red Square saw a scaled-down May 9 Victory Day parade this year. Although Russia’s President Vladimir Putin did manage to convince leaders of seven former Soviet states to drop in, including some that have kept their distance from his “special military operation”. In Kyiv, May 9 was marked with the president of the EU Commission coming to celebrate Europe Day alongside the president of EU candidate country Ukraine.
On the other side of the Atlantic, Joe Biden says he is relishing the prospect of running as the anti-Trump again in 2024. But the US president is often on a similar wavelength: talking tough on China, shoring up the border with Mexico and has delivered on his own version of "America First" by introducing massive green energy subsidies that are tempting European companies to move their business stateside. France's president is now trying to fight fire with fire. Emmanuel Macron has visited the French rust belt city of Dunkirk for the launch of a giant battery factory by Taiwanese ProLogium and another by Chinese maker XTC.
And it’s that time of year when a whole continent indulges in a special kind of guilty pleasure: the Eurovision song contest. Dateline Liverpool, by the banks of the Mersey. The home of the Beatles decked out in a lot of blue and yellow. That’s because last year's winner, Ukraine, is not in a position to host the event itself.
Produced by Alessandro Xenos, Juliette Laurain, Louise Guibert
Previous Episode
Kremlin drones, Turkey's election, Sudan's conflict and King Charles III's coronation
Who's behind the unmanned craft shot down over the Kremlin in the pre-dawn hours of Wednesday? As tensions between Russia and Ukraine grow, warring generals continue their death match in Sudan's capital and final preparations for King Charles III's coronation are underway in the UK. We also ask our Friday panel of journalists about the homestretch of Turkish elections billed as the most uncertain since Recep Tayyip Erdogan took power two decades ago. Could he actually lose?
Produced by Alessandro Xenos, Josephine Joly and Imen Mellaz.
Next Episode
Do all roads lead to Jeddah? Elections in Turkey & Greece and French Resistance revelations
Syria's Bashar al-Assad came out of the woodwork in Jeddah on the same day that Zelensky passed through, taking his plea for support for Kyiv to the Arab League. Also, Recep Tayyip Erdogan's re-election bid seems to be going to plan in Turkey, while his opponent Kemal Kilicdaroglu veers right in his rhetoric, hoping to reach new demographics. And in Greece, the conservative incumbent is talking about building walls to stop migrants, days before a snap election. Finally, here in France, a former Resistance fighter is telling a dark secret.
Produced by Yann Pusztai, Juliette Brown and Antonia Kerrigan
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