Supporters of Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan wave flags during a rally of the ruling AK Party in Kayseri June 21, 2013. REUTERS/Stringer
KAYSERI, Turkey (Reuters) - Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan kicks off a weekend of rallies in his conservative strongholds on Friday, displaying his grassroots support after weeks of often violent anti-government protests.
Tens of thousands are expected to gather in a square in Kayseri, an industrial city in Turkey's pious Anatolian heartland, to hear the blunt-talking 59-year-old urge voters to back his ruling AK Party before municipal polls next March.
