Ihsa**glu: the devout intellectual hoping to de-throne Turkey leader
 

https://s1.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/M...b490105d90.jpgThe softly spoken, bespectacled intellectual hoping to defeat Turkey's powerful premier in the country's first direct presidential election faces a steep uphill struggle. Egypt-born Ekmeleddin Ihsa**glu is a former head of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, the global grouping of Muslim nations, and a scholar who makes ** secret of his devotion to Islam. The selection of an overtly pious Muslim may seem a surprising move for the secular opposition, but it reflects the way in which Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan -- who continues to dominate Turkish politics after 11 years in power -- has made it impossible to ig**re the religiously conservative majority. The opposition hopes Ihsa**glu's calm and professorial demea**ur will offer a welcome contrast to Erdogan's volatile outbursts and polarising style, that have become increasingly evident over the past year as he responds to mass anti-government protests and a torrent of corruption allegations against his inner circle.




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