Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is on track to win the second round of Sunday's election, with more than 40% of the votes counted, according to the official Anadolu Agency. The result that would confirm his permanence in power after 20 years at the helm of the country.
According to these provisional results, Erdogan won 57.1% of the vote, compared to 42.9% for his rival, the Social Democrat Kemal Kiliçdaroglu.
Some 61 million people were eligible to go to the polls, in a day that passed generally calm, despite some isolated incidents and allegations of irregularities by the opposition.
"The second round of voting is over. So far we have not received any negative information affecting the elections. Applications and complaints about irregularities will be studied," Election Commission Chairman Ahmet Yener told local media after polls closed.
Since the opening of the polling stations, queues have formed, a sign of a strong mobilization of the more than 61 million Turks entitled to vote. An increased presence of supervisors at voting stations was also observed.
"These elections were held in very difficult circumstances, there were all kinds of slander and defamation," Kilcdaroglu, 74, told reporters after voting. "But I trust people's common sense. Democracy will come, freedom will come, people will be able to walk down the street and freely criticize politicians," the opposition candidate added.
Speaking to reporters after voting at a school in Istanbul, Erdogan said it was the first time in Turkey's history that a runoff in the presidential election was needed. He also praised the high turnout in the first round and said he expected a high turnout on Sunday as well.
"I pray that (the election) will be beneficial to our country and nation," said the president who is seeking a new term.
Erdogan won 49.5% of the vote in the first round, compared to 44.9% for the opposition Kiliçdaroglu. Photo EFE/EPA/SEDAT SUNA
Erdogan won49.5 percent of the vote on Jan. 14, with a four-point lead to Kiliçdaroglu's 44.9 percent, describing the runoff as a referendum on the country's future.
The latest polls suggest that Erdogan, who won the support of the ultranationalist candidate Sinan Ogan, third with 5% of the vote, will maintain the same percentage difference in the second round.
If he wins, Erdogan, 69, could remain in power until 2028. After three terms as prime minister and two as president, the head of the conservative and religious Justice and Development Party, or AKP, is already Turkey's longest-serving leader.
The final decision could have implications far beyond Ankara, as Turkey stands at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, and plays a key role in NATO.
Turkey vetoed Sweden's bid for the alliance and bought Russian missile defense systems, prompting the United States to exclude that country from an American-led fighter jet project. But Erdogan's government also helped broker a crucial deal that allowed Ukrainian grain shipments and averted a global food crisis.
In Istanbul's suburb of Sisli, Özer Atayolu, a 93-year-old retired engineer, was among the first to arrive to vote. "I always arrive early to vote first because I believe in democracy and in my responsibility as a citizen," he said.
In Ankara, the capital, Zerrin Alan, 55, said she was "so excited (that) I couldn't sleep." "I hope this election is not rigged," he added.
With information from agencies.
IS
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