Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday faced accusations of racism days before he stands in presidential elections after saying in a television interview that it was ugly to be called an Armenian.

During a live interview on the private NTV channel late Tuesday, Erdogan complained that the opposition was carrying out a smear campaign against him by claiming that he was from another ethnic origin.

Turkey's top election body on Tuesday banned a television advertisement by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in his campaign for president on the grounds that it contained excessive religious symbolism.

Erdogan, a pious Muslim who leads the Islamic-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP), is the hot favorite to become the 12th president of modern Turkey in the August 10 elections and has unleashed an energetic campaign with TV adverts and billboards across the country.

Tens of thousands of supporters of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday massed in Istanbul for his last big rally in Turkey's largest city one week ahead of presidential elections.

Erdogan is widely expected to win the elections to become modern Turkey's twelfth president and staged a suitably presidential-style mass rally in the Istanbul suburb of Maltepe.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is confident of easily winning the presidential election but faces a much harder task after the vote in implementing his self-declared mission of changing Turkey's political system.

Compared to previous Turkish heads of state who have fulfilled largely ceremonial roles, Erdogan wants to be a president like no other since modern Turkey's founder, Ataturk.

Turkey will hold its first presidential election next Sunday with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan seeking to become a powerful head of state, amid fears from critics of a shift to autocratic one-man rule.

Erdogan and his Islamic-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP) have led the country of 76 million people for over a decade but taking the presidency could see him serve two more five-year terms.

A bitter row erupted Friday between Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his main rival in the presidential election after the premier accused his opponent of not recognizing the Turkish national anthem.

Erdogan mercilessly mocked Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu for not knowing the Istiklal Marsi (Independence March) anthem, a huge insult in a country which sets great store by patriotism.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday launched one of his strongest attacks yet on Israel over its offensive in the Gaza Strip, accusing the Jewish state of showing "Hitler-like fascism" against the Palestinians.

Speaking at a mass rally in eastern Turkey to promote his candidacy in presidential elections, Erdogan said he was happy to give back an award that was bestowed upon him by an American Jewish Group in 2004.

Members of Germany's large Turkish community started casting ballots Thursday for the August presidential election, the first time they can vote abroad for a poll in their country of origin.

Germany is home to some three million people of Turkish descent, the world's largest Turkish expatriate community, and 1.4 million of these are eligible voters with Turkish nationality.

The Turkish people are deeply divided over Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's leadership even though he is the hot favorite to win next month's presidential elections, a new poll found Wednesday.

Turkey will for the first time vote directly for its next president on August 10, with Erdogan looking set to continue more than a decade of domination over the country straddling Europe and Asia.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will be "glad" to return an award given to him in 2004 by an American Jewish group, Turkey's embassy in the U.S. said Tuesday, amid a growing controversy over the premier's anti-Israel remarks.

The American Jewish Congress had given Erdogan the Profile of Courage award in recognition of his efforts to seek peace in the Middle East but now wants the decoration to be returned after his repeated verbal assaults against Israel over the Gaza conflict.