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Erdogan’s presidential dreams hang by thread

With less than a fortnight left to go before the June 7 legislative polls, polls show that the Justice and Development Party's share of the vote will slip from the record 49% that it received in 2011.
Supporters of Turkey's Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu wave Turkish and AK Party flags during an election rally for Turkey's June 7 parliamentary elections in Istanbul, Turkey, May 17, 2015.   REUTERS/Osman Orsal - RTX1DCCG
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For the last 12 years, Turkey’s Islamists led by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan seemed invincible. His Justice and Development Party (AKP) romped from one electoral victory to the other, each time snatching a bigger part of the vote. But with less than a fortnight left to go before the June 7 legislative polls, the AKP is looking fragile for the first time.

Even the combative president is sounding unsure. “There is an apathy among the [political] parties [and] among voters,” he said in a televised interview on A Haber, a pro-government channel. “These elections will hold surprises until the very last minute”.

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