The feverish race for the Turkish presidency is not over yet – no candidate has won a majority of votes

Turkey’s preliminary election results show that neither President Recep Tayyip Erdogan nor his archrival Kemal Kilicdaroglu won the majority of votes needed to win.

98.55% of the ballots were processed, according to the results of the vote count, Erdogan is gaining 49.34%, and Kılıçdaroglu – 45.00%. If none of the candidates gets 50% plus one vote today, then the second round of the presidential elections will take place on May 28. The two main rivals commented on the results of the first round of presidential elections.

The current head of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said that the preliminary results of the presidential and parliamentary elections show a big gap between the Justice and Development Party and its candidate from other political forces in the country, quotes Anadolu:

“The winner in the elections, regardless of the indicators, was Turkey and its people. The vote on May 14 was one of the highest turnout in the history of the electoral processes of our country. Throughout our political career, we have shown respect for the will of the people. We express respect for the opinion of voters and in the current elections and all subsequent ones.

Erdogan noted that he is ready for the second round of presidential elections and thanked every voter who supported him.

The leader of the opposition Republican People’s Party and the candidate from the united opposition forces, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, said he was confident of his victory in the second round, quotes him as saying NTV channel:

“The data continues to come in right now. If our people say ‘second round’, we accept it. We will definitely win this election in the second round. Everyone will see it.”

Preliminary results show that neither President Recep Tayyip Erdogan nor his main rival Kemal Kilicdaroglu won the majority of votes needed to win. The final results have not yet been published, but most likely there will be a second round of voting. Erdogan, in power since 2002, was in the lead with 49.49% of the vote as of 7 a.m. and told his AKP supporters he believes he can still win. Meanwhile, Kılıçdaroğlu, who has received 44.79% of the vote so far, promised to win the elections in the second round. However, the AKP alliance is expected to form a majority in parliament. This is Turkey’s busiest election in years and comes as the country struggles with high inflation and is recovering from devastating earthquakes earlier this year.

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