Turkey Presidential Election Goes To Runoff As Erdogan Takes Lead In First Round

The presidential election in Turkey will be decided in a runoff after incumbent Recep Tayyip Erdogan pulled ahead of his main challenger but fell short of an outright victory.

Turkey's presidential election will be decided in a runoff after incumbent Recep Tayyip Erdogan pulled ahead of his main challenger but fell short of an outright victory that would extend his rule into a third decade, news agency AFP reported citing election officials on Monday. The second-round vote on May 28 will determine whether the strategically located NATO country remains in the president's grip or can embark on the 'more democratic' path promised by his main rival, Kemal Kilicdaroglu.

While Erdogan has ruled for 20 years, the state media's opinion polls have suggested that his reign may be coming to an end, with a cost-of-living crisis and criticism of the government's response to the February earthquake redrawing the electoral map.

In a closely fought national election, neither the president nor his rival Kilicdaroglu received more than 50% of the vote.

Instead, Erdogan's retreat was less dramatic than expected, and with his alliance still in control of parliament, he is now in a strong position to win in the second round. According to Ahmet Yener, the head of the Supreme Electoral Board, preliminary results show Erdogan with 49.51%, Kilicdaroglu with 44.88%, and Sinan Ogan with 5.17%, AFP reported. 

Erdogan received 52.6% of the vote in the first round of the 2018 presidential election, winning outright. 

Even as it became clear that a runoff was inevitable, Erdogan, who has ruled Turkey as prime minister or president since 2003, declared Sunday's vote a victory for both himself and the country.

ITS ERDOGAN VS KILICDAROGLU IN THE RUNOFF

"The fact that the election results are not final doesn't change the fact that the nation has chosen us," Erdogan, 69, told supporters early Monday. In a tweet, Erdogan (in Turkish) wrote: "The voting process was completed in a way that befits our democracy, thank God. Now, as always, it's time to hold tight to the ballot boxes. Until the results are final, we continue to protect the will of our nation!.."

He stated that he would respect the decision of the nation.

Kilicdaroglu sounded optimistic about his chances of winning.

"We will absolutely win the second round... and bring democracy," Kilicdaroglu, 74, predicted, claiming that Erdogan had lost the trust of a nation that was now demanding change. Kilicdaroglu and his party have lost all previous presidential and parliamentary elections since assuming leadership in 2010, but their votes have increased this time.

The uncertainty caused the main Turkish stock exchange BIST-100 to fall more than 6% at the start of trading on Monday, prompting a temporary halt in trading. However, after trading resumed, shares recovered slightly, and the index was 2.5% lower in the afternoon compared to the market close Friday.