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Erdogan is seeking a third five-year term as president in an election seen as a verdict on his authoritarian rule. He has ruled the country for a long period of 20 years.
All eyes now turn to May 28, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his opposition rival Kemal Kilicdaroglu neither reaching the 50 percent threshold needed to win the crucial election. Erdogan is seeking a third five-year term as president in an election seen as a verdict on his authoritarian rule. He has ruled the country for a long period of 20 years.
News agency Reuters reported that neither he nor Kilikdaroglu could obtain the 50 percent vote needed to avoid a second round of voting on 28 May. According to the official Anadolu news agency, Erdogan is leading with 49.39 percent of the vote, while Kilikdaroglu is fighting a tough fight with 44.92 percent. According to the country’s election body, the Supreme Electoral Board, about 97 percent of ballot boxes have been counted so far.
Both sides claimed victory
Both the camps claimed victory as the counting of votes was underway. While Erdogan’s supporters celebrated in various cities, including the capital Ankara, Kilicdaroglu urged his supporters to be patient and accused Erdogan’s party of interfering in the vote-counting process. Prior to the presidential election, several opinion polls predicted a close contest.
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