On May 14, no candidate received more than 50% of the vote to win the election outright, leading to an extraordinary run-off election.
Turkey’s Istanbul: Turkish voters go to the polls again on Sunday to cast an important vote between two men after months of campaigning by twenty political groups, four presidential candidates, and a bewildering array of electoral coalitions.
The decisive vote will be cast in the presidential run-off between incumbent Recep Tayyip Erdogan and opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu. This election has been dubbed the most significant in recent Turkish history.
The election period, which began formally on March 18, has witnessed many twists and turns, the most spectacular of which was Erdogan defying polling expectations to finish ahead of Kilicdaroglu in the first round but just missing out on securing a third term as president.
Since the initial vote on May 14—held concurrently with parliamentary elections in which Erdogan’s party and its allies won 323 out of 600 seats—the intensity of electioneering has decreased, with neither candidate holding the previous level of large-scale rallies.
Erdogan’s performance in the first round, when he received 49.52 percent of the votes versus Kilicdaroglu’s 44.88 percent, has given him encouragement.
He tweeted on Saturday, “Let’s all go to the polls together for the Great Turkey Victory.” “Let’s convey to the presidency the will that was expressed in the parliament on May 14 even more forcefully this time. Let’s vote to begin the Century of Turkey.
Erdogan’s victory
Erdogan’s victory would not only extend his 20-year rule by Turkey by five years but also push the nation past the centenary of its founding in October.
A ceremony commemorating the anniversary of the 1960 coup that resulted in the execution of Prime Minister Adnan Menderes was subsequently attended by the president in Istanbul.
“I appeal to all of our people, regardless of your viewpoint or way of life. The final exit is this one. Let those who love their motherland come to the vote box!” According to a message received on Saturday by Kilicdaroglu.
In his last public appearance, the opposition leader pledged to continue receiving social security benefits at a conference in Ankara on family support. He promised, “I will live like you; I will not live in palaces.” “I’ll live like you and find solutions to your issues.”
Turkish people residing abroad have finished casting their ballots in advance of election day, just like in the previous round. Around 1.9 million people cast ballots in 73 nations and at border crossings, where polling is still ongoing in Turkey.
More than 47,500 voters have turned 18 in the last two weeks, bringing the total number of voters in Turkey to around 60.8 million.
