In a campaign trail marked with the launch of "megaprojects" and unprecedented rallies where he drew thousands, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was on familiar ground on Wednesday. The president, who was born and raised in a working-class neighborhood of Istanbul, was in his parents’ hometown Rize.

At a square in the Black Sea province, Erdoğan adopted his usual election rhetoric, hitting out at the opposition and highlighting reforms his ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government implemented in two decades.

Erdoğan, who seeks a new term on the centenary of the Republic of Türkiye after dominating the Turkish political landscape for years as prime minister and president, relies on his bedrock of support in the Anatolian heartland and parts of the Black Sea region for victory. In Rize, he won nearly 77% of the vote in the 2018 presidential elections, far ahead of Muharrem Ince, who managed to win only 16.6% of the vote in the same election. This time, Ince, a former member of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), trails behind his former boss Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu in preelection opinion polls.

Addressing a fervent crowd in Türkiye’s "tea capital," Erdoğan said he was "proud" to have the support of the hometown of his family. Waving Turkish flags, the crowd streaming across the streets, leading to the square where the rally was held, cheered the remarks of Erdoğan.

"We crammed the work of a century into two decades," Erdoğan told the crowd as he screened videos of projects under AK Party governments, from the production of Türkiye’s first locally-made car to the discovery of massive natural gas deposits in the Black Sea.

"I see a different Rize today. I see an excellent turnout here. This is good news for May 14," he said, referring to the elections. "God willing, we will see a boom in votes," he told, to the applause of supporters. "I thank God for allowing me to walk this path with you. In 21 years, we were behind 15 election victories. We accomplished great success, we took our country from stormy seas to safe harbors, we defended our lands against gangs of betrayal," he stated.

Criticizing the opposition, Erdoğan said his government’s resume was clear, asking "Mr. Kemal" "what he has done for Türkiye." Kılıçdaroğlu lags behind Erdoğan according to the latest opinion polls though he has more support this time thanks to the opposition bloc of six parties he brought together.

With two weeks remaining for elections, Erdoğan and other candidates aim to step up the number of rallies but those which will stand out will be in Istanbul, Türkiye’s most populated city. Erdoğan and Kılıçdaroğlu are expected to hold rallies on May 7 in the city.

This is the first election since Türkiye held its first multiparty elections – again on another May 14, some 73 years ago – in which such a high number of alliances will compete. Although the partnerships were born out of necessity for the opposition, which has repeatedly failed against Erdoğan and the AK Party, the ruling party has also found new allies in its People’s Alliance over the years.

Unlike the opposition alliance, whose sole aim is to end the lengthy AK Party governance, the People’s Alliance says its unity is for the sake of unity itself and for Türkiye’s interests.