Have voters finally tired of Erdoğan's personality and politics?

On the outskirts of the Turkish capital in a contested electoral district, two young voters tussled over the approaching election in a dessert shop

- RUTH MICHAELSON AND DENIZ BARIŞ NARLI

Iflah Oluklu, 23, chastised his friend for disrespecting some supporters of the Turkish president.

The two friends are split in their allegiances. Oluklu described himself as a nationalist, and said he intended to support Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in a tightly contested presidential election on 14 May. "Erdoğan is like a father figure for us in Turkey. He's been running the country for 20 years ... among this opposition, there's no one who can replace him," he said.

His friend Kaan, a supporter of the main opposition Republican People's party (CHP), who declined to give his surname, disagreed. "I just don't think this country is governed well, and I want people's voices to be heard by those in power," he said. "I really think this might be the end for Erdoğan."

After two decades in power, Erdoğan is facing a concerted challenge. Polls show his main rival, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, a former accountant and longtime bureaucrat, has a slight edge. The vote presents a stark choice for the Turkish public, between Erdoğan and the possibility that re-electing him will entrench one-man rule, or his opponents who have promised to overhaul the presidential system and return Turkey to parliamentary democracy.