Erdogan rattled by a challenger from his own heartland

The voters that have kept Recept Tayyip Erdogan in power for the last 15 years come from places like Elmalik.

Nestled at the foot of the mountains an hour’s ferry ride from Istanbul, life in the quiet village centres around the mosque and three tea shops in the main square. 

Nearly 70 per cent of its 2,000 residents voted for Mr Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) in 2015.

Last year, three-quarters of them supported the Turkish president in a referendum to change the country’s constitution. 

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But in this week’s elections Elmalik is giving Mr Erdogan something besides its votes: a challenger from his own heartland.  

The village is home to Muharrem Ince, a 54-year-old former physics teacher…

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