Erdogan and Kilicdaroglu cast votes in Turkey

STORY: In his time in power, Erdogan has taken tight control of most of Turkey’s initiations and sidelined liberals and critics. His support slipped in the last few years as a series of currency crashes and a deepening cost-of-living crisis were brought on by his policy of slashing interest rates in the face of soaring inflation.

A powerful orator and campaigner, Erdogan has pulled out all the stops on the campaign trail as he battles to survive his toughest political test.

Polls show support for his rival Kilicdaroglu near the critical 50 percent threshold making a May 28 runoff between him and incumbent Tayyip Erdogan ever more likely.

Kilicdaroglu is the joint presidential candidate of the six-party main opposition alliance. He is chairman of the Republican People's Party (CHP), which was established by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk - the founder of modern Turkey.