What’s at stake in Turkey’s upcoming elections

Pedestrians walk near the Yeni Cami or New Mosque during a winter evening at Eminonu in Istanbul, Tuesday. [AP]

President Tayyip Erdogan is aiming to extend his 20-year rule in elections that will decide not just who leads Turkey but how it is governed, where its economy is headed and what role it may play to ease conflict in Ukraine and the Middle East.

The presidential and parliamentary elections, which must be held by June, mark the biggest political challenge yet for Erdogan, who has championed religious piety, military-backed diplomacy, and low interest rates.

Should he lose, his opponents promise radical change.

WHAT'S AT STAKE IN THIS ELECTION FOR TURKEY…

The most powerful leader since Mustafa Kemal Ataturk founded the modern Turkish republic a century ago, Erdogan and his Islamist-based AK Party have shifted Turkey away from Ataturk's secular blueprint.

Erdogan has also centralized power around an executive presidency, based in a 1,000-room palace...

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