Erdogan close to extending his rule, according to an opinion poll

Voters in Turkey continue to cast their ballots in Sunday's presidential run-off, which could see President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's rule extended for a third decade.

Voting began at 0500 a.m. (1400 GMT) and ends at <> p.m. (<> GMT). Results are expected to begin to appear by this evening.

A poll by research and consultancy firm Kunda showed Erdogan's expected support for the run-off at 52.7 percent, compared to 47.3 percent for Kilicdaroglu, after the distribution of undecided voters.

The poll was conducted on May 20 and 21.

Another important factor is how Turkey's Kurds, who make up about a fifth of the population, will vote.

The pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) supported Kilicdaroglu in the first round, but after tilting to the right to win nationalist votes, he did not explicitly name him and urged voters to reject Erdogan's "one-man system" in the run-off.

The Turkish president has done his best during his election campaign as he struggles to survive his toughest political test. The man enjoys absolute loyalty from religious Turks.

Erdogan, 69, bucked opinion polls and gained a comfortable lead of almost five percentage points over rival Kemal Kilicdaroglu in the first round of elections on May 14. But he failed to get the fifty percent required to decide the race, which will have significant implications for Turkey and the global geopolitical situation from the first round.

Erdogan's fortunes increased after his unexpectedly strong performance in the first round despite the cost of living crisis, and a coalition that includes his conservative Justice and Development Party (AKP), the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and other parties won parliamentary elections. The veteran president promotes the vote for him as a vote of stability.

Nicholas Danforth, a non-resident fellow at the Greek Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ILIAMIB) who specializes in Turkish history, said: "Turkey has ancient democratic traditions and well-established nationalist traditions, and it is now clear that it is the national tradition that has triumphed."

"Erdogan blended religious feeling with national pride, presenting voters with a very anti-elitist tendency," he added.