People around the world are waking up to news that Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is nearly certain to spend another five years strengthening his grip on power. In Sunday’s first-round vote, Erdoğan took 49.5 percent support, while his challenger Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu received 44.9 percent. Runoff elections have been announced for May 28.

The grim situation reminds us of Turkey’s weak democratic norms and the extent of nationalist, racist, hard-right sentiments. The glimmer of hope comes from the long-harassed Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), whose unyielding fight for progressive, democratic values has again shown its resilience.

The HDP and the associated Green Left Party joined the electoral process under extremely hostile conditions, with an autocratic regime controlling all state institutions and the press. These difficulties were well illustrated by a joint statement by election observers from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the Council of Europe. It said that although the elections on May 14 were “well-organized” and for the most part peaceful, voters were limited in their political choices by the criminalization and imprisonment of HDP members.