Elections in Turkey: Erdogan loses majority in presidential elections and has to go to second round, according to media

Although he won this Sunday’s presidential election, the President of Turkey, Islamist Recep Tayyip Erdogan failed to secure the absolute majority needed to avoid a two-week runoff against the opposition candidate, the Social Democrat Kemal Kiliçdaroglu, when 90% of the ballot boxes have been counted.

The official Anadolu bureau gives Erdogan 49.9% of the vote, similar to that of ANKA, a private medium, while the candidate is said to have between 44 and 45%.

A third candidate, the nationalist Sinan Ogan, would get 5% of the vote.

Kiliçdaroglu’s party, the CHP, has accused Anadolu of failing to provide reliable data during the count and the AKP of blocking the counting of ballots and challenging the counting lists in areas where the opposition is stronger.

In this way, the candidate himself asked his audience and the volunteers taking part in the recount “not to leave their posts” to ensure that the count is performed correctly.

The mayor of Ankara, the Social Democrat Mansur Yavas, has assured that if the total number of major cities is included, the opposition candidate will have an absolute majority already in this first round to win the presidential election.

Erdogan, who has been in power for two decades, criticized the CHP for releasing results before the official announcement of the census. and also asked their table delegates not to abandon the investigation.

“Even though the election was held in such a positive and democratic environment and the counting of votes is still ongoing, hastily announcing the results means overriding the national will,” the president said.

Almost certain victory in Congress

In parliamentary elections, also held today, the alliance formed around the AKP, Erdogan’s Islamist party, would have 50% of the vote and 325 of the 600 deputies in parliament, retaining the absolute majority it has held since 20 year has. past.

The CHP and its allies would get 34% and 215 deputies, and the left-wing and pro-Kurdish party HDP and its allies are said to have 60, while 82% of the polls have already been opened.