Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is optimistic about his alliance’s chances of winning the upcoming May 28 runoff election, aiming for what he calls a “historical success” by attracting more votes. Regardless of the outcome, Erdogan believes that the true victors of Türkiye’s landmark elections are “Turkish democracy and the Turkish nation.
” Expressing his respect for the nation’s will as demonstrated through the ballot box, Erdogan
took to Twitter to convey his sentiments following the May 14 elections. He expressed confidence that his alliance will emerge triumphant in the runoff election by garnering additional votes. Erdogan acknowledged the Turkish people’s trust and belief in his alliance, as reflected in the majority given to the People’s Alliance in the Turkish parliament during Sunday’s elections.
On Monday, the head of Türkiye’s election authority announced that a second-round runoff
will take place on May 28 to determine the president, as no candidate secured an outright
majority in the initial poll.
Erdogan obtained the highest number of votes at 49.51 percent, just shy of the required 50 percent threshold. His main opponent, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, chair of the main opposition Republican People’s Party
(CHP) and the joint candidate for the sixparty opposition Nation Alliance, received 44.88 percent of the vote. The second round on May 28 will feature a face-off between these two candidates.
The ATA Alliance’s Sinan Ogan secured 5.17 percent of the vote, while Muharrem Ince, who withdrew from the presidential race after ballots had already been printed, received 0.44 percent.
Voter turnout was high, with 88.92 percent of eligible voters participating, including 52.69 percent of Turkish citizens residing abroad. The entry of data for 35,874 ballots cast abroad is still ongoing, according to the head of the Supreme Election Council (YSK), Ahmet
Yener.
