Challenger in Turkey presidential race offers sharp contrast

By SUZAN FRASER
Associated Press

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — The main challenger trying to unseat Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in this month’s presidential election cuts a starkly different figure than the incumbent who has led the country for two decades. Where Erdogan is a mesmerizing orator, the unassuming Kemal Kilicdaroglu is soft spoken. Erdogan is also a master campaigner while Kilicdaroglu prefers to talk to voters in videos recorded in his kitchen. As the polarizing Erdogan has grown increasingly authoritarian, Kilicdaroglu has built a reputation as a bridge builder and vows to restore democracy. But that could change on May 14, when Turkey holds its most hotly contested presidential election in years.