What kind of Turkey will emerge from the ballot box?

Will Kemal Kilicdaroglu become the first leader of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) to lead a government in Turkey after Bulent Ecevit? And, if that happens, how will Recep Tayyip Erdogan react? How will he manage an election loss, especially if it's marginal? These questions are preoccupying those who are closely following the historical turning point that Turkey seems to be reaching, with the first round of voting next Sunday.

Predictions are even more uncertain about how the result of the ballot will affect Ankara's foreign policy, especially toward Greece. Some believe that Kilicdaroglu has more reason to restore Turkey's relations with the West and will be less provocative in his confrontations with Greece. By the same token, Erdogan is less predictable and more likely to view an unlikely electoral victory as a blank check.

Others recall that...