No presidential candidate managed to secure a first-round victory in Turkey’s presidential election on May 14, with incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdogan receiving 49.4% of the vote and the opposition’s candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu getting nearly 45%. The runoff round is expected to be held on May 28.
The People’s Alliance, headed by the pro-presidential Justice and Development Party, is in the lead in the parliamentary election with 49.4% of the vote, while the Nation Alliance, led by Kilicdaroglu’s Republican People's Party, has garnered 35.1%.
TASS has collected the key facts about the outcome of the Turkish elections.
Erdogan was expected to win the election based on early results, as he was carrying 57-58% of the vote, but the incumbent president saw his chances of avoiding a runoff dwindle by Monday morning after Supreme Election Council chief Ahmet Yener announced that the head of state had 49.4% of the vote.
According to the latest data, the main opposition candidate, Kilicdaroglu, received 45% of the vote, while Sinan Ogan, who represented the ATA Alliance, got 5.2%. Erdogan and Kilicdaroglu are now expected to compete for Ogan’s voters.
The People's Alliance has won the parliamentary election with 49.4% of the vote. According to the state-run TRT TV channel, it will get 321 seats in the 600-seat parliament. According to the latest data, the opposition’s Nation Alliance will receive 213 seats.
People came out in droves to cast their vote as turnout reached a record high of 88.9%, according to the latest data from Turkey's Supreme Election Council. The turnout was 86.2% in the previous presidential election.
