Erdogan Leads Turkey’s Presidential Election, but His Lead Over Kilicdaroglu is Shrinking – Runoff Election Likely
With around 89% of the votes counted, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan leads the country’s presidential election with 49.94% of the vote, while opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu is at 44.3%, according to the state-run news agency Anadolu. The Election requires an absolute majority or more than 50% of the vote, meaning a runoff election between the top two candidates, Erdogan and Kilicdaroglu, on May 28 is looking increasingly likely.
The opposition claims that Erdogan’s islamist-conservative party is engaging in “tactical maneuvers” during the vote count, with Kilicdaroglu taking the lead according to the mayors of Istanbul and Ankara. The opposition says that the AKP is deliberately disputing the results in opposition strongholds and slowing the count to benefit the government. However, Erdogan and the AKP have dismissed the allegations and condemned the opposition for revealing early results.
Early polling showed Kilicdaroglu slightly ahead of Erdogan, leading to high voter turnout with long queues outside polling stations. A total of 64 million people, including 1.5 million Turkish citizens living in Germany, were eligible to vote in the Presidential and Parliamentary election.
Despite almost 200,000 ballot boxes, with hundreds of thousands of government and opposition monitors, reports of manipulations have emerged, including videos that claim someone repeatedly stamps Erdogan’s AKP party on ballots that are supposed to be stamped by voters and not by the party. The CHP party’s election observers have filed complaints with the Turkish Electoral Commission.
Turkey’s High Electoral Board has reported that voting has proceeded without significant incidents. However, Erdogan’s opponents claim that he has used his power towards his advantage.
Pro-Kurdish Opposition Party Reports Attacks on Election Observers in Southeastern Turkey
The pro-Kurdish opposition party, HDP, confirmed reports that election observers from the YSP, the sister party, were attacked in Mardin in southeastern Turkey. According to reports, a dispute ensued after observers denied access to the polling booth to several family members. According to Brakel, such incidents have occurred in previous elections, particularly in the southeast. However, he added that most people can generally cast their votes “relatively freely” on election day.
The presidential elections in Turkey have international significance since President Erdogan gained unprecedented powers with the introduction of a presidential system five years ago and can govern largely around Parliament. Erdogan’s critics fear that the country could slip entirely into autocracy if he wins again in the election. The poll is also being closely watched globally.
Opposition candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu is considered a measured politician, raised in the eastern Turkish province of Tunceli, and belonging to the religious minority of Alevis. The opposition leader wants to restore the independence of institutions such as the central bank and tackle high inflation. He represents policies for closer ties with Germany and the EU while supporting a tougher migration policy.