ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Tayyip Erdogan outlined his vision for a "pioneering new Turkey" on Friday, pledging to re-write the constitution, forge a more prominent role on the world stage and deepen democracy if he becomes the country's first popularly-elected president.
Launching his campaign for an August election he is almost certain to win, the man who has dominated Turkish politics for more than a decade cast his bid for the presidency as part of a historic path of change, breaking the shackles of a status quo he said had held Turkey back for decades.