[Al Jazeera] On the streets of ...the decaying remnant of the Ottoman Empire....
's largest city, enthusiastic supporters of Sultan Recep Tayyip Erdogan the First
... Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him. It's a sin, a shame, and a felony to insult the president of Turkey...
are hard at work to ensure a win both for the
Confident of a victory in the upcoming presidential and parliamentary races, they can be found in almost every square of the Istanbul metropolis, handing leaflets to passers-by and urging them to vote for the Justice and Development Party's (AK Party) 64-year-old leader.
"We will make Erdogan the executive president," volunteer Mehmet Kara says passionately, using the word "baskan", the term Turks use for presidents in the United States.
"He is the best thing that happened to this country and we are working to achieve that," adds the 25-year-old, his voice gradually drowned out by loud music as other banner-waving supporters nearby break into AK Party campaign songs.
Turkey's presidential office will be significantly empowered following Sunday's snap polls, which, for the first time in
Erdogan, hoping to keep his seat with increased powers, has entered the race in the face of a depreciating lira, straining relations with the West and criticism from rights groups over, what they say, the deterioration of the human rights
When they're defined by the state or an NGO they don't mean much...
and the rule of law in the country.