Turkey headed for a runoff vote after President Tayyip Erdogan led over his opposition rival Kemal Kilicdaroglu in Sunday’s election but fell short of an outright majority to extend his 20-year rule of the NATO-member country.
Neither Erdogan nor Kilicdaroglu received the required 50% of the vote to avoid a second round, which will be held on May 28, in an election seen as a referendum on Erdogan’s increasingly authoritarian path, CNBC reports.
The presidential election will determine not only who leads Turkey, but also whether the country returns to a more secular, democratic path, how it handles its severe cost of living crisis, and how it manages key relations with Russia, the Middle East, and the West.
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Kilicdaroglu, who predicted victory in the runoff, urged his supporters to be patient and accused Erdogan’s party of interfering with results counting and reporting.
However, Erdogan outperformed pre-election polls, and he appeared to be in a confident and combative mood as he addressed his supporters.
“We are already 2.6 million votes ahead of our nearest competitor.” “We expect this figure to rise as official results come in,” Erdogan said.
According to state-owned news agency Anadolu, with nearly 97% of ballot boxes counted, Erdogan had 49.39% of the vote and Kilicdaroglu had 44.92%.
Erdogan received 49.49% of the vote from Turkey’s High Election Board, with 91.93% of ballot boxes counted.
Thousands of Erdogan supporters descended on the party’s headquarters in Ankara, waving flags and blasting party songs from loudspeakers. Some people danced in the street.
“We know it isn’t exactly a celebration yet, but we hope to celebrate his victory soon.” “Erdogan is the best leader this country has ever had, and we love him,” said Yalcin Yildrim, 39, owner of a textile factory.
