Turkey's Presidential Election Heads to Second Round; Erdogan's Coalition Retains Parliamentary Majority

According to Turkish media reports and with less than half a percent of votes remaining to be counted in the presidential election, it appears that the election will go to a second round due to candidates failing to secure the necessary votes. However, the Supreme Election Council has not yet officially announced this. The second round will be held on Sunday, May 28 (June 7) between Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the two candidates who received the most votes. As reported by Turkish media on Monday morning, including TRT, with over 99 percent of the votes counted, Erdogan received 49.39 percent and Kilicdaroglu 44.97 percent. However, the official state news agency, Anadolu, reported that 97.99 percent of the votes had been counted, announcing Erdogan's votes at 49.34 percent and Kilicdaroglu's at 44.99 percent. In any case, it is clear that neither candidate qualified for election in the first round, as candidates needed to secure over 50 percent of the votes to be elected in the first round. Official sources reported that Recep Tayyip Erdogan received 26,784,236 votes and Kilicdaroglu received 24,385,669 votes. Earlier, in the early hours of Monday, while the vote counting was still ongoing, Erdogan stated in his speech, which he traditionally gives after elections, that 'it is true that the final result has not yet been announced, but we are leading by a large margin.' Kilicdaroglu also stated early Monday that Erdogan did not receive the trust of the Turkish people and 'we will win in the second round.' Pre-election polls indicated a very tight race, with Kilicdaroglu, who leads a six-party coalition, briefly surpassing Erdogan, as both polls on the final day showed his supporters even above 50 percent. Meanwhile, several opposition figures had previously expressed concern about the slow counting process. Erdogan delivered a speech at 2 AM Istanbul time from the balcony of his party headquarters, asserting that he believes he can secure more than 50 percent of the votes. The presidential and parliamentary elections in Turkey began at 8 AM local time on Sunday, May 14, and ended at 5 PM, with polling stations closing. However, those in line were allowed to cast their votes, after which the counting began. According to Al Jazeera, 'unfortunately, three people - an observer at a polling station and two voters - suffered heart attacks due to the palpable excitement and tension that has engulfed the country.' Millions of eligible citizens voted on Sunday. Erdogan and his wife, Emine Erdogan, cast their votes at a polling station in Istanbul, while Kilicdaroglu and his wife, Selvi Kilicdaroglu, voted in Ankara. 64 million Turkish citizens were eligible to vote in this pivotal election, and reports indicated high citizen participation. In recent days, the Turkish elections have been at the forefront of major global news, with many observers suggesting that this election could mark the beginning of a new political chapter in Turkey. Concurrently with the presidential election, parliamentary elections were also held, with official reports indicating that the 'Justice and Development' Party, represented by the current president, leads the competition with 266 seats out of 600 in parliament. According to the latest results, after the Justice and Development Party (Erdogan) with 266 seats, the Republican People's Party (Kilicdaroglu) has 168 seats, the Green and Left Future Party has 62 seats, the Nationalist Movement Party has 51 seats, the Good Party has 44 seats, the New Welfare Party has 5 seats, and the Workers' Party of Turkey has 4 seats, forming the new Turkish parliament. Based on these results, Erdogan's 'People's Alliance,' which includes the Justice and Development Party and the Nationalist Movement Party, will hold a total of 317 seats. Additionally, Kilicdaroglu's 'Nation Alliance,' as the opposition party coalition, will secure 212 seats. In the 28th parliamentary election cycle, which coincided with the 13th presidential election cycle, candidates from 24 parties along with 151 independent candidates competed for 600 seats in 87 electoral districts. According to Turkish media, at least 17 political parties will enter the parliament either independently or as part of a coalition in this 28th parliamentary election cycle. The presidential term in Turkey is five years, and elected representatives in the Turkish parliament, which has 600 members, will serve for five years. Ahead of the Turkish elections, concerns about election result manipulation and unrest have intensified.