The popular Justice and Development Party may be riding high in the opinion polls but the man at its helm, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has been banned from taking part in the race. He is forbidden from holding political office. His ban stems from a previous conviction for Islamist sedition. The Justice and Development Party is accused by rivals of being an Islamist group that threatens the secular state. Now prosecutors want to go further, with legal moves to prevent Erdogan heading the party and efforts to outlaw the group itself. The party founded by Ataturk, the man who moulded modern Turkey, is waiting in the wings. It is expected to put in a good performance when people go to the polls on Sunday.

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