The first round of Turkish presidential elections resulted in a runoff. The news was verified by Turkey’s Supreme Election Council, which is in charge of overseeing the election process.
In a new round of voting, incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will face off against his opposition competitor.
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Turkey election results 2023: Erdogan received 49.51% of the vote in the first round.
Despite a substantial lead over opponent Kemal Kilicdaroglu (44.88%), he required more than half the votes to win the contest outright.
On May 28, a second round will be held, with Erdogan as the favorite.
Shortly before the results were announced, the president’s opponent urged supporters not to “fall into despair” and to come out and win the elections together.
Erdogan has ruled Turkey for more than two decades, first as prime minister and later as president, gradually strengthening his powers.
Turkey election results: Polls predicted that with Kilicdaroglu as the nominee, the opposition would be able to beat Erdogan.
Turkey’s election turnout on Sunday was 88.92%. However, it was evident that a significant number of votes cast overseas had still to be tabulated.
The international monitoring body OSCE cited various problems in the election, emphasizing Erdogan and the ruling parties’ “unjustified advantage.”