President Erdogan is still the most popular politician as Turkey gears up for polls

LONDON - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has ended weeks of political speculation by announcing that his country will

hold both parliamentary and presidential elections on May 14,

more than a month earlier than required by the electoral calendar.

These are likely to be fiercely fought ballots, with the leader, who dominated his country’s politics for decades, facing his first realistic prospect of defeat.