Turkiye set for presidential run-off after closely fought election

ISTANBUL – Turkiye’s highly anticipated presidential election is heading for a run-off vote as both incumbent president Recep Tayyip Erdogan and opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu fell short of the required 50% threshold for an outright victory.

The vote, seen as a verdict on Erdogan’s increasingly authoritarian path, was set to hand his ruling alliance a majority in Parliament, giving him a potential edge heading into the May 28 run-off.

With more than 96% of ballot boxes counted, Erdogan led with 49.44% of votes and Kilicdaroglu had 44.86%, according to state-owned news agency Anadolu.

Opinion polls before the election had pointed to a very tight race but gave Kilicdaroglu, who heads a six-party alliance, a slight lead. Two polls on Friday even showed him above the 50% threshold.

The presidential vote will decide not only who leads Turkiye, a Nato member of 85 million people, but also whether it reverts to a more secular, democratic path; how it will handle its severe cost of living crisis; and manage key relations with Russia, the Middle East, and the West.

The election takes place three months after earthquakes in southeast Turkey killed more than 50,000 people. – Bernama, May 15, 2023