President Tayyip Erdogan has defied predictions of his political demise with a strong showing in Turkish elections, weathering his toughest test yet at the polls by mobilising conservative voters who could now propel him to a third decade in power.
Though Erdogan has yet to clinch victory - he must first win a May 28 runoff against his challenger Kemal Kilicdaroglu - he appeared in a celebratory mood as the results came in and supporters of his Islamist-rooted AK Party rallied in Ankara.
