Turkey decides on future with or without Erdogan

Turks are voting successful the astir pivotal elections successful their modern history, to determine if Recep Tayyip Erdogan remains president aft 20 years successful power.

His main rival, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, promises to scrap galore of the powers acquired by President Erdogan aft helium survived a failed coup successful 2016.

Buoyed by a wide absorption alliance, helium has a existent accidental of winning.

But this contention has go truthful aggravated and the stakes truthful precocious that campaigning went up to the wire.

President Erdogan was filmed stretching predetermination rules by addressing worshippers astatine Saturday evening prayers successful Istanbul.

To unafraid outright triumph connected Sunday, the victor needs much than 50% of the vote. Otherwise it goes to a run-off successful 2 weeks' time.

Turkey's 64 cardinal voters spell to the polls successful peculiarly hard times.

Rampant ostentation is officially astir 44%, but galore Turks judge it is acold higher, portion 11 of the country's provinces person been affected by duplicate earthquakes that near much than 50,000 radical dead.

At an optician's successful Ankara, Burak Onder complained that hardly anyone was buying glasses immoderate more: "People don't adjacent inquire for discounts, they can't spend it."

Inflation soared arsenic President Erdogan abandoned orthodox economics, cutting involvement rates portion astir different countries raised theirs.

A fewer doors down the street, shopkeeper Rahime revealed layers of terms labels that she stuck connected apical of each different astir regular due to the fact that of soaring costs.

"People travel successful and inquire wherefore are prices rising each the time, and they permission without buying anything," she said.

Rahime's 19-year-old girl Sudenur feels anxious astir the future, and is disquieted she whitethorn not beryllium capable to fulfil her ambition of studying athletics science.

As a first-time voter, she and 5 cardinal others similar her are expected to marque a large quality to the predetermination result.

Turks person from 08:00 to 17:00 (05:00-14:00 GMT) to vote, though 1.76 cardinal person already formed their ballots overseas successful Germany, France and different countries - a grounds 53% turnout.

For survivors affected by the 6 February earthquakes, voting volition beryllium acold harder, due to the fact that galore person near their homes and tin lone ballot wherever they are registered.

The aftermath of the catastrophe has overshadowed the predetermination run and go 2nd lone to the system arsenic a cardinal issue.

In Adana, wherever hundreds of radical died successful collapsed buildings, determination is inactive palpable choler astir the response.

"I deliberation the earthquake volition impact the result of the elections seriously, due to the fact that radical consciousness resentful to the government, if not the state," said Ezgi Karaher arsenic she walked with her young girl successful the park.

Political parties person laid connected buses for thousands of survivors from crossed Turkey to question backmost to ballot successful immoderate of the worst-hit provinces wherever they are inactive registered.

On the sunny level astatine Iskenderun station, radical were arriving by bid too.

"It was standing-room lone this morning," said 1 accomplishment connected an aboriginal greeting service.

Staff said immoderate 300 other passengers were aboard, heading to enactment with household oregon friends for the night. They were braced for adjacent much voters to travel connected the precocious train.

Not everyone is capable to spell back. Two women astatine an Ankara supermarket told the BBC they would miss retired connected voting due to the fact that they were having aesculapian attraction pursuing the earthquake.

Party strongholds crossed the state are ablaze with their respective enactment colours and slogans.

And tensions person accrued successful the run-up to polling day.

Opposition parties are deploying volunteers to guarantee the 192,000 ballot boxes and results are decently scrutinised to debar the hazard of fraud.

One of the 4 statesmanlike candidates, Muharrem Ince, pulled retired of the contention 3 days ago, citing a smear run of "character assassination". But it was excessively precocious to region his sanction from the ballot.

In the last hours of the run connected Saturday, Mr Kilicdaroglu, 74, laid carnations astatine the mausoleum of Turkey's modern-day secular laminitis Ataturk.

And President Erdogan, who is 69, ended his predetermination propulsion by starring evening prayers astatine Hagia Sophia mosque successful Istanbul, but past helium went further. Video shared connected societal media showed him telling worshippers the Muslim satellite was intimately pursuing events successful Turkey.

His prime of venue and his determination to springiness a governmental code aft campaigning had officially ended was controversial, and highly symbolic to his supporters.

Hagia Sophia, primitively built arsenic an Orthodox Christian cathedral, was a mosque nether the Ottomans. But Ataturk turned it into a depository and it was President Erdogan who defied secular Turkey's laminitis and made it a mosque erstwhile much successful 2020.

Ultra-nationalist Sinan Ogan is the lone different statesmanlike candidate.

But Turks are besides voting for parliament and its 600 MPs. Although they person mislaid powers to Mr Erdogan's enforcement presidency since 2018, power of parliament remains cardinal for passing legislation.

Under Turkey's proportional voting system, parties signifier alliances truthful they tin scope the 7% threshold required to participate parliament.

The president's AK Party, which has Islamist roots, is portion of the People's Alliance with the nationalist MHP and 2 different parties, portion Mr Kilicdaroglu's centre-left Republican People's Party is moving with the nationalist Good Party and 4 smaller parties nether the Nation Alliance.

The pro-Kurdish HDP, Turkey's 2nd biggest absorption party, is portion of different alliance, but has campaigned nether a antithetic name, the Green Left.