Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan warned anti-government protesters yesterday that security forces would clear Istanbul’s Taksim Square if they did not withdraw before a ruling party rally today.

After two weeks of protests against his leadership, Erdogan vowed to crush his opponents at elections next year, in a speech to tens of thousands of supporters on the outskirts of the capital Ankara.

“We will bring them to account in eight months at the ballot box. We will not make a concession, we will resist by ignoring their agitation. We will embrace victory one more time,” he said, his voice cracking as he roared at the crowds. He warned protesters still occupying Gezi Park on the edge of Taksim Square in central Istanbul that they should leave before a second ruling party rally, planned for today on the edge of the city, or face intervention.

“We have our Istanbul rally tomorrow. I say it clearly: Taksim Square must be evacuated, otherwise this country’s security forces know how to evacuate it,” he said.

A police crackdown on peaceful campaigners in Gezi Park two weeks ago provoked an unprecedented wave of protest against Erdogan, drawing in secularists, nationalists, professionals, trade unionists and students who took to the streets in protest at what they see as his autocratic style.

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