Turkish elections authority officially announce round 2, due on May 28

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
15 May 18:15

The incumbent president Erdogan scored 49.51% while Kilicdaroglu received 44.88% after Sunday's tense elections.

A man reads a Turkish newspaper a day after the presidential election day, in Istanbul, Turkey, Monday, May 15, 2023 (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)

After no candidate won over 50% of the votes in the Turkish elections, the head of the nation’s election authority announced on Monday that a runoff will take place on May 28, 2023.

Although neither opposition candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu nor Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan received above the 50% threshold, the President took the lead, according to poll statistics and head of the Supreme Election Council, Ahmet Yener, citing unofficial results.

According to Yener, voter turnout in Sunday’s elections was 88.92%, and that of Turkish citizens abroad was 52.69%, while data entry continues for 35,874 ballots abroad.

Erdogan closed the first round with 49.51% of the votes, with Kilicdaroglu placing second at 44.88%, followed by Sinan Ogan at 5.17%.

The fact that the 14 May elections took place in the form of a great feast of democracy with peace and quiet is an expression of the democratic maturity of our Turkey, the incumbent President said on Sunday in the heat of the election.

Kilicdaroglu expressed certainty on Sunday of a second round, saying: "Erdogan could not obtain what he wanted despite all his slander and insults", adding: "There was a huge voter turnout, and no one can make claims to victory," the leading Turkish opposition figure said.

As for the Turkish parliamentary elections, the preliminary results published so far by the official Turkish TV, say the ruling People's Alliance garnered 322 seats as opposed to 212 for the Nation Alliance. The Justice and Development Party amassed 266 votes, while the National Movement Party, allied with the ruling party, garnered 51 seats, and the Felicity Party garnered 5.

Within the National Alliance, the Republican People's Party garnered 168 votes, while the Good Party got 44 seats. The Labour and Freedom Alliance, meanwhile, saw the Party of Greens and the Left Future get 62 seats, and the Labor Party got four seats.

As per the new Turkish electoral law, these preliminary results reflect that the Justice and Development Party is set to win 269 seats in parliament out of 600 seats, while the Republican People's Party is set to win 170 seats.

Ogan said he would not allow Turkey to slip into a state of instability, as he underlined that he was set to meet with the leaders of the Ancestral Alliance (ATA) to discuss what is to be done in the second round of the election.