As the world watches Syria grapple with the aftermath of Bashar al-Assad's brutal regime and the formation of a new government, one neighbor has emerged as having great influence over the new Syria.

Turkey's main opposition party retained its control over key cities and made huge gains elsewhere in Sunday's local elections, in a major upset to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says Turkey's leader has agreed to have Turkish parliament vote on Sweden's bid to join the defense alliance.

Erdogan's support for Ukraine comes as Turkey has been holding off giving final approval to Sweden joining NATO, saying Stockholm is not effectively cracking down on groups Ankara view as threats.

After an inconclusive round one, Sunday's vote should decide whether citizens still want President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in charge for another five-year term, and he could have an edge to win.

Turkey's presidential election is headed to a runoff on May 28. The outcome, in this key NATO nation, has implications for the West. President Biden has said he hopes "whoever wins wins."

Neither longtime Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan nor his main challenger Kemal Kilicdaroglu were able to win more than 50% of the vote. That means Turkey is heading for a runoff on May 28.

A struggling economy and slow earthquake response add up to a tough election for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has dominated Turkish politics for the past 20 years.

Here is a look at the man expected to be the top challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's 20-year rule in the May 14 Turkish election, and what sets him apart.

Videos have surfaced in Turkish media of the president in 2019 praising a policy that let builders off the hook for skirting safety codes that could have made buildings more quake resistant.

Critics are laying into the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, accusing it of incompetence in its response to the massive quake and misplacing tax revenues meant for dealing with disasters.

"We are following developments concerning Sweden and Finland, but we are not of a favorable opinion," Erdogan told reporters.

President Trump counts several world leaders as his fans, many of them authoritarians, nationalists or populists. Some may struggle to stay as friendly with the White House if he loses the election.