Justice and Development Party

Recep Tayyip Erdogan will lose both his presidency and his majority in parliament on Sunday. The opposition parties united against him and his Justice and Development Party are convinced of this.

All sealed bags containing nearly 1.8 million overseas votes have reached the capital Ankara, with the bags kept safe in a tight security room protected with five locks.

The Twitter logo is seen on a smartphone held beside a Turkish flag. Photo: EPA/Karl-Josef Hildenbrand

"The Turkish government has accelerated its efforts to enforce censorship and tighten control over social media and independent online news sites ahead of this election," said Deborah Brown, senior technology researcher at Human Rights Watch.

With his two-decade rule in the balance, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has pulled out all the stops on the campaign trail as he battles to survive his toughest political test yet and shield his legacy from an emboldened opposition.

Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan accused the opposition of being "pro-LGBT" at a rally in Istanbul on Sunday, as he stepped up his rhetoric against his opponents a week before what is expected to be a tight election.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said that 1,700,000 people attended the great Istanbul rally of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) on May 7.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has stated that the ruling Justice and Development Party's (AKP) success is due to the efforts and sincerity of all the people who have not withheld their support the past 21 years, on a social media post.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who earlier this year marked 20 years in power - first as prime minister and later as president - is seeking a third consecutive presidential term in elections on May 14.

The 69-year-old started as a reformist who expanded rights and freedoms, allowing his majority-Muslim country to start European Union membership negotiations.

The next parliament to be established in May 14 polls will reverse Türkiye's government model back to the parliamentary system, the opposition's joint president candidate has said, arguing even the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) will support the change.

Two people have been arrested in connection with the shooting outside an election campaign office of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Istanbul on April 25.

The suspects opened fire at the AKP's election campaign office in the Güngören district. No injuries were reported in the incident, but the office's windowpanes were shattered.