Clashes broke out yesterday Monday afternoon in Marseille (southern France) between supporters and opponents of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, around a polling station for Turkish citizens who can vote in advance in the presidential and parliamentary elections in Turkey, resulting in injuries at least four people, French police said.

Law enforcement twice intervened to separate Turkish voters who were called to the polls two weeks before the two procedures, which will be held on May 14 in Turkey, the Bouches-de-Rhône Police Department said, confirming information that first broadcast the third program of French radio and television in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region.

The first incidents broke out at around 14:30 around the polling station, in the southern suburbs of Marseilles, near Parc Chano (eighth arrondissement); four injured were taken to Timon hospital. The police used tear gas to separate two rival groups.

New incidents followed as the day ended, despite the presence of police forces, and two arrests were made, police told AFP.

Mr Erdogan, 69, is running for re-election in the May 14 presidential election, but will face a united opposition for the first time after 20 years in power.

He will face three opponents, the most important being Kemal Kilicdaroglu, 74, candidate of an alliance of six opposition parties – ranging from the nationalist right to the center left – dominated by the Republican People’s Party (CHP, social democrat) of the founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal .

The opinion polls predict an ambiguous contest that the two main camps assure that they will win from the first round. If a second is needed, it will be held on May 28.