First-time voters may have decisive say in Turkish election

FILE PHOTO: Yunus Efe, a 22-year-old Bogazici University student, chats with his friend at coffee house in Istanbul, Turkey May 4, 2023. REUTERS/Dilara Senkaya

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish university student Yunus Efe has known only one leader of his country - Tayyip Erdogan. As he prepares to vote for the first time in elections this month, the 22-year-old says it is time for change.

Efe is one of more than 6 million first-time voters expected to cast ballots in the May 14 election. Roughly 10% of the electorate, their votes could prove critical in deciding whether Erdogan's rule continues into a third decade or comes to an end.