Istanbul, 11 April 2023 (dpa/MIA) – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's conservative Islamic AKP is officially launching its campaign on Tuesday ahead of simultaneous presidential and parliamentary elections on May 14.

Opposition parties have already launched their campaigns for the election, which is being held in the shadow of a devastating series of earthquakes that struck the south of the country from February 6 onwards.

After 20 years at the top of Turkish politics, initially as prime minister and subsequently as president, Erdoğan, 69, faces a difficult campaign.

Alongside allegations of poor crisis management following the quake, the country has seen annual inflation of around 50%.

Among three challengers for president, the head of the centre-left CHP, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, 74, is seen as having the best prospects. Kılıçdaroğlu heads an alliance of six parties.

The pro-Kurdish HDP, which has the backing of around 10% of the electorate, has not put up a candidate. This is seen as indirect support for Kılıçdaroğlu.

If no candidate secures more than 50% of the vote in the first round of the presidential elections, there will be a run-off a fortnight later on May 28.

Around 60.9 million people are eligible to vote in Turkey itself, with a further 3.3 million abroad. Turkey's large diaspora will be able to cast their ballots from April 27.

Photo: MIA archive