Turkey's Syrians root for Erdogan in May vote - in pictures

Those who have fled Assad's regime await the election results with baited breath

Since the Syrian war broke out in 2011, Turkey has become the new home of at least 3.7 million people who fled the regime of President Bashar Al Assad, Russian bombardments and ISIS. All photos: AFP

Most have temporary protection status, leaving them vulnerable to forced return

The secular CHP party of Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who is running neck-and-neck against Mr Erdogan, pledges to repatriate Syrian refugees 'within two years'

'May Erdogan win,' says Neroz Hussein (pictured), a mother from Kurdish-majority Kobane in Syria's north-west. 'Recep Tayyip Erdogan will help us stay'

"Even if they don't send us back all at once, they will put pressure on us, demand papers, increase our rents and bills," she says.

About 240,000 Syrians have obtained Turkish citizenship and the accompanying right to vote in the approaching polls, in which a new parliament will also be elected

They can gain citizenship by investing or, like Hussein Utbah (pictured), by becoming students in sought-after fields such as electrical engineering

'My friends and I all have the same view: not only because we are Syrians, but because of what we see he has done for the country,' he said of Mr Erdogan

Hussein also scoffed at the CHP's pledge to ensure Syrians' 'voluntary and dignified' return. 'We can't go back and trust Bashar al-Assad,' said Hussein, whose family fled Raqqa when it became the self-proclaimed ISIS capital in 2015

Syrians also provide a source of cheap labour on Turkish farms, construction sites and textile mills, causing some analysts to believe mass repatriation is unrealistic

Mohamed Utbah (pictured) wondered why anyone would want to send him back. 'We're not doing anything wrong here, we're useful to Turkey'

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