The share of votes received by Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in the presidential elections fell below 50% after opening 93% of the ballot boxes. This is reported by the Anadolu agency, referring to the data of the Higher Electoral Commission (CEC) of the republic. Now, among the counted votes, 49.76% of voters voted for Erdogan.
At the same time, after opening 87% of the ballot boxes, it was reported that Erdogan was in the lead with 50.01% of the votes, and at that time there were 44.22% of those who voted for his rival Kılıçdaroglu.
The mayor of Istanbul, a representative of the Turkish opposition, Ekrem Imamoglu, said that the election results promise a victory for Kılıçdaroğlu.
“According to the data we have, Kılıçdaroğlu is gaining 53.87% of the vote and winning the elections,” Imamoglu said.
He also urged the Turks to ignore election information from the official Anatolian Agency (AA), which “holds them [elections] and distorts [information]”.
Ankara’s opposition mayor Mansur Yavash also said that the incumbent Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan is currently gaining 46.8% of the vote, and Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu is ahead of him with 47.42%.
“We have net data with 91,913 (out of 192,000) ballot boxes. Kılıçdaroglu has 11.4 million, or 47.42%. Erdogan has 11.27 million votes, or 46.8%. Not yet received all the results from the sites in Ankara, Istanbul and Izmir. I think everything will end in the first round, ”said Yavash.
The turnout, according to the TRT channel, was more than 88% of voters. At the same time, more than 45% of the citizens who registered there came to the polls in the Turkish embassies and at the border crossings.
As for the parliamentary elections, after opening 15% of the ballot boxes, Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party received 348 seats in the legislative body (out of 600 mandates). The Republican People’s Party Kılıçdaroğlu won 133 seats, CNN Turk reported.
The alliance of the Erdoganists from the AKP with three other political parties can count on almost 400 seats in total, and the oppositionists – on 180 seats. At the same time, TRT reported, the “Republican Alliance” led by the AKP of the incumbent Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, according to the current calculation data, receives 53% or about 330 seats.
WEC Chairman Ahmet Ener said that the voting in the elections in Turkey has ended, the observers did not reveal any significant problems and violations.
Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu on Twitter urged his supporters not to leave the ballot boxes unattended.
“Under no circumstances leave the polling stations until the last signed protocol of the ballot box has been delivered. The full and correct expression of the will of the people depends on your determination,” the opposition candidate said.
Erdogan, in turn, congratulated the Turks on the democratic elections held.
Due to the increased interest in the presidential elections in Turkey, the ballot boxes are overcrowded. At the same time, no new ballot boxes are provided, so voters are trying to use the existing ones, the media reported. Three people have already died from heart attacks from nervous strain at the polling stations, the TRT channel reported.
According to TASS, Erdogan’s opponents went to a spontaneous rally in Ankara to support Kemal Kilicdaroglu. On the evening of May 14, between 30 and 50 people with Turkish flags gathered near the headquarters of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) in the Sögyutozyu district, they also shouted slogans in support of the CHP and its chairman.
According to the agency’s correspondent, some participants in the rally have already started celebrating “Kılıçdaroğlu’s victory over [incumbent President Tayyip] Erdoğan”, although the counting of votes continues.
Under Turkish law, if no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, a second round of elections must be held.