Turkey awaits election results as Erdogan’s leadership hangs in balance

A woman votes at a polling station in Diyarbakir (Metin Yoksu/AP)

Election polls have closed in Turkey, where President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s 20-year leadership of the Nato-member country grappling with economic turmoil and the erosion of democratic checks-and-balances hung in the balance after a strong challenge from an opposition candidate.

The election could grant Mr Erdogan, 69, a new five-year term or unseat him in favour of an opposition candidate who has promised to return Turkey to a more democratic path.