Erdogan Risks Losing Large Cities

Erdogan, who has dominated Turkish politics for more than 16 years due to strong economic growth and high campaign capacity, has become the most popular but also the most divided leader in the country's modern history.

However, he could receive an electoral blow, with polls showing his AK Party could lose control of the capital, Ankara and even Istanbul, the country's largest city.

Voters in provinces in eastern Turkey began voting at 7:00, while voting in the rest of Turkey begins at 8:00. Voter seats close at 4: 00 a.m. in the east and at 5: 00 p.m. west.

Over 57 million people are eligible to vote, while a clear view of the winners will probably emerge around midnight.

With the economy contracted after a currency crisis last year, in which the lira lost more than 30 per cent of its value, some voters turned out ready to punish Erdogan, who has decided with a less and less compromise attitude.