Turkey's Elections and the Disappointment of Kilicdaroglu's Supporters: 'I Wish I Had Been Born in Another Country'

As Turkey's presidential elections headed to a second round, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivered a nighttime speech at the headquarters of the Islamist Justice and Development Party in Ankara, stating to his supporters, 'Our country has undoubtedly won.' After the first round of the presidential elections, Erdogan was about 5 percent ahead of his main rival, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, securing approximately 49.4 percent of the votes, while Kilicdaroglu garnered about 44.6 percent. Erdogan's 'People's Alliance,' consisting of the Justice and Development Party and its partners, appears to have gained a majority in the new parliament with 321 out of 600 seats, which increases Erdogan's chances of victory in the second round of the Turkish presidency. According to Reuters, Turkish election officials described the voter turnout as very high, stating that 88.8 percent of eligible voters participated in the elections. Sinan Ogan, the nationalist candidate who finished third in the Turkish elections on Sunday, told Reuters in an interview on Monday that he would only support Kilicdaroglu in the second round if he rejects any concessions to a pro-Kurdish party, which is the third-largest party in the Turkish parliament. That party supports Kilicdaroglu but is accused of links to Kurdish militants, which it denies. This condition further increases Erdogan's chances of victory. Opponents of Erdogan expressed disappointment and disbelief on Monday after he led in the first round of the Turkish elections. However, Erdogan's supporters confidently expressed that he would win in the second round, which is set to take place in less than two weeks on May 28. A 55-year-old taxi driver stated, 'I have witnessed many elections. My 14-year-old daughter, who stayed up all night for the election results, went to bed disappointed. They have destroyed me this time.' He added, 'All I want is freedom, democracy, justice... I wish I had been born in another country.' On the other hand, Erdogan's supporters were pleased, with one retired voter telling Reuters, 'In the second round of the presidential elections, Tayyip Erdogan will decisively win.' Prior to the presidential elections, polls conducted in Turkey indicated that Kilicdaroglu was slightly ahead of Erdogan, with two polls conducted on Friday suggesting he even had 50 percent of the votes needed for victory. Nevertheless, some opposition supporters remain hopeful that Kilicdaroglu, the candidate of a coalition of six parties, can win in the second round. According to Reuters, he has promised to restore democracy after years of increasing authoritarian rule under Erdogan.