With his pledges of income equality and more jobs, Mr Kilicdaroglu seems bent on appropriating the role of champion of the underdog from AK, so eating into its traditional base in the shanty towns that encircle the big cities.

ECONOMIST: Turkey's opposition

Roads leading to the building in the capital, Tripoli, were obstructed by at least 20 vehicles, as militiamen carrying AK-47 rifles moved into the area, although they did not enter the ministry itself.

BBC: Libya gunmen surround Tripoli foreign ministry

These flourished into a full-blown strategic partnership in the 1990s, before the AK party's rise, when peace between Palestinians and Israelis seemed possible.

ECONOMIST: Turkey and the Middle East

The EU also welcomed the Yes vote in a Turkish referendum in September 2010, which gave the ruling AK Party the go-ahead to change the military-era constitution and bring it more into line with EU norms.

BBC: EU enlargement: The next eight