In a tightly contested Turkish presidential election, incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan emerged with 49.42% of the vote.
His closest rival, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, garnered 44.96%, with ultranationalist Sinan Ogan trailing at 5.20%.
The results, based on nearly 99% of ballot boxes opened, indicate a runoff election on May 28th as neither leading candidate achieved a majority vote.
The Supreme Election Board is expected to confirm these figures later today or early tomorrow.
Notably, this election also determines 600 seats in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. Early indications suggest that Erdoğan’s party is poised to retain its parliamentary majority, potentially challenging Kılıçdaroğlu's prospects in the runoff.
Overseas voting, which accounted for 1,817,010 votes with only 40% of ballot boxes opened so far, could be pivotal. In 2018, Erdoğan secured 60% of the overseas vote. Both leading candidates are likely to woo Sinan Ogan in the runoff. However, Erdoğan is considered to have an advantage due to his conservative stance and the composition of the opposition coalition.
Despite losing several elections as the Republican People's Party leader, Kılıçdaroğlu, 74, seems to have found resonance with his message of curbing presidential powers. However, his position within the coalition is precarious, with some supporters opposing the HDP party and others questioning his ability to appeal to the conservative majority outside major cities.
Erdogan, while confident of victory, acknowledged the possibility of a runoff. "If our nation has chosen for a second round, that is also welcome," he stated in Ankara. Kılıçdaroğlu echoed similar sentiments, asserting they would "absolutely win in the second round."
The election saw a staggering turnout of nearly 90%, one of the highest in Turkey's history. The results were received with jubilation by pro-government media, with Yeni Safak newspaper declaring "The people have won," referring to Erdogan's People's Alliance, which appears to have clinched a parliamentary majority.
The election outcome has held Europe, Washington, Moscow, and the region in nail-biting suspense, given Erdogan's transformation of Turkey into a global player through ambitious infrastructure projects and an emerging defense industry. Despite concerted efforts by the opposition to unseat the president, the results underscore a deeply polarized Turkish society, a century after Kemal Ataturk established the modern Turkish republic.
