Erdogan wins run-off to be re-elected Türkiye president

ANKARA – Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been reelected Türkiye’s president in a run-off election, the country’s Supreme Election Council head Ahmet Yener said today. 

Ahmet was reported as saying by Anadolu Agency that Erdogan won the presidency over opposition challenger Kemal Kilicdaroglu in a second-round run-off vote.  

According to unofficial results, the Turkish incumbent won the race with 52.14%, while Kilicdaroglu got 47.86% of votes, said Ahmet, adding that 99.43% of ballot boxes had been opened so far. 

In a speech in Istanbul earlier today, Erdogan said Türkiye’s 85 million-strong citizens are the winners in the national election that concluded yesterday. 

More than 64.1 million people were registered to vote, including over 1.92 million who earlier cast their ballots at overseas polling stations. 

Nearly 192,000 ballot boxes were set up for voters across Türkiye. 

On May 14, no candidate won the required 50% in the first round, triggering yesterday’s run-off, although Erdogan took the lead with 49.52%. 

On that day, Erdogan’s People’s Alliance also won a majority in Parliament. – Bernama, May 29, 2023