Istanbul, 28 May 2023 (dpa/MIA) - Polling stations were open on Sunday across Turkey for a crucial second round of presidential elections that will decide the next five-year-term president of Europe's second most populous country.

The vote is considered the most consequential after two decades of rule by incumbent Recep Tayyip Erdoğan versus the opposition's joint candidate, Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu.

Polls are open between 8 am and 5 pm (0500-1400 GMT).

Erdoğan is seen as the frontrunner, as he was 4.7 percentage points ahead of Kılıçdaroğlu in the first round two weeks ago.

Roughly 61 million people are eligible to vote. Turks living abroad have already cast their ballots.

The election campaign has been led by anti-migrant sentiments from both secular Kılıçdaroğlu and the Islamic conservative Erdoğan.

Both leaders have aligned themselves with ultra-nationalist figures, in an attempt to woo undecided voters and build on anti-migrant sentiment.

The vote also comes amid Turkey's worst economic crisis in two decades and after February's devastating earthquakes in the country's east.

Ahead of the vote, observers criticized unjust conditions on the campaign trail, with Erdoğan enjoying the use of state resources and dominating the media landscape.

Sunday's election result in the NATO member country will have repercussions beyond its borders and the wider region.

Kılıçdaroğlu's bloc, a rare coalition of secular Turks, Islamic conservatives and nationalists, wants to set an international precedent by replacing a long-time strongman through democratic means.

They seek to overhaul Erdoğan's "autocratic" presidential style of government and return to conventional economic policies, among other plans.

The opposition is also vowing it will mend ties with Western allies and regional foes. The bloc seeks to expel Syrians, the largest group of asylum seekers in the country.

Erdoğan promises to increase religious conservative policies such as restricting LGBT rights. He also plans to quickly reconstruct the quake-hit provinces while boosting investments in defence and infrastructure.

Observers warn that Turkey's economic turbulence could deepen if Erdoğan is re-elected and continues his unorthodox financial policies.

He is expected to maintain a tense relationship with the EU and the US, while continuing to play a mediator role in the Russia-Ukraine war and maintain a hard line on neighbouring Greece.