Turkey's Landmark Elections

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, who has been in power for more than 20 years, will face his stiffest political challenge yet when the country votes in presidential and parliamentary elections later this month.

Six opposition parties have combined forces for the votes set for May 14, with a possible presidential run-off two weeks later, picking  Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the leader of the secularist Republican People's Party (CHP), as their joint candidate.

Turkey has become increasingly authoritarian under Erdogan, who has championed religious piety and low interest rates at home while asserting Turkish influence in the region and loosening the NATO's member's ties with the West.

But Modern Turkey's longest-serving leader appears vulnerable, with the country facing soaring inflation and reeling from earthquakes three months ago that have killed more than 50,000 people.

This is a selection of pictures of a rally held in Istanbul on May 6 in support of Kilicdaroglu.