Türkiye elections: Erdogan wins over 49% of vote

Türkiye’s Supreme Election Council (YSK) announced on Monday that all ballot boxes were opened in Sunday's presidential and parliamentary elections while a small number of overseas ballots were still not available.

The council announced President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan won 49.51% of the vote and confirmed a runoff vote, scheduled for May 28, News.Az reports citing Anadolu Agency. 

In a highly anticipated news conference in the capital Ankara, Ahmet Yener, chair of the YSK, told reporters that "100%" of the ballot boxes were opened in 81 provinces of Türkiye and the turnout rate was registered as 88.92% within Turkish borders and 52.69% among voters abroad.

Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the main rival of Erdoğan, won 44.48% of the vote, ahead of Sinan Oğan, the candidate of the ATA Alliance who won 5.17% of the vote. Muharrem Ince, who dropped out of the race days before the vote, won 0.44% of the vote as his name remained on ballots, including those already cast abroad before his announcement of withdrawal. "It is decided that none of the candidates secured the required majority in the presidential election and therefore a runoff vote will be held on May 28," Yener concluded in his statement.

Yener also announced that the propaganda stage for runoff started as of Monday. He said final, formal results for the first round of the election will be announced on May 19 and voters abroad would be able to start voting on May 23.

News.Az 

You Might Also Like