Incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Justice and Development Party have emerged victorious in Sunday’s presidential and parliamentary polls in Türkiye, according to unofficial results.
Although the official outcome is yet to be announced, Erdoğan addressed his supporters at the AK Party headquarters in Ankara, acknowledging their clear lead based on the initial unofficial results.
At the time of his speech, Erdoğan had secured approximately 49% of the vote. He emphasized that Türkiye’s commitment to the superiority of national will and the freedom of its citizens in their political choices solidified its position as one of the world’s leading democracies.
Expressing confidence, Erdoğan stated, “We believe that we will win this election with more than 50% of the votes.” However, neither Erdoğan nor his main rival, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, obtained more than 50% of the vote, leading to a runoff election scheduled for May 28.
Following a peaceful voting process that concluded at 5 p.m. local time, tensions rose in Türkiye as ballot boxes were opened and the vote count commenced. The opposition bloc, composed of six parties, repeatedly voiced objections to the vote count, claiming that their candidate, Kılıçdaroğlu, was ahead of President Erdoğan.
The opposition contested the official results and raised concerns about the announcement made by the state-run news agency, Anadolu Agency (AA). The situation remained tense as both sides awaited the final and official results, which will be crucial in determining the outcome of the runoff election and shaping the country’s political landscape.
As the electoral process unfolds, all eyes will be on Türkiye as it moves toward the decisive runoff vote, with Erdoğan seeking to secure another term in office while facing a strong challenge from Kılıçdaroğlu and the opposition alliance.
