On concessions for the first time, Erdogan said he was ready for a second round

TURKEY – An unprecedented second round appears to be looming on the evening of Sunday, May 14 in Turkey, depending on the results of the presidential election count, which gives President Recep Tayyip Erdogan neck and neck with his opponent Kemal Kilicdaroglu.

The 69-year-old head of state, who has been in power for 20 years, lost the lead that state media attributed to him over his Social Democratic rival in the evening, dropping to less than 50%, according to the state-run Anadolu Agency.

These results could pave the way for a second round on May 28. This will be the first for the Turkish Republic, the centenary this year. Erdogan, who considers himself “at the fore”, says he will respect the final ballot and the “next elections”. On Monday, Kemal Kilicdaroglu promised himself a victory for his camp In the second round from polling, which now appears to be installed.

Erdogan Willing to respect Second round

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that he is “clearly in mind” for the presidential elections, but he says he is ready for it “respect” A second round if necessary. “Even if the results haven’t been published yet, we’re clearly in the lead.” Crush before a wave of supporters gathered at midnight (02:30 local time, 23:30 GMT) in Ankara: We respect this election and we will respect the next election. confirmed.

“We don’t know yet if the elections will end in this first round, but if we take people to the second round, we will respect it.”.

It is the first time in twenty years, since he has been in power in Turkey, that the head of state is forced to enter a second round, scheduled for May 28, against his social democratic opponent Kemal Kilicdaroglu. The latter led an unprecedented coalition of six opposition parties.

“The people chose stability,” Erdogan confirms

“Regardless of the outcome, 27 million people preferred to vote for us.”He continued as the counts continued.

“I think we’re going to end this election with more than 50%” The votes, he insisted. “The people chose stability and security in these presidential elections.”.

Erdogan claimed ” The majority of “ Of the 600 seats in parliament he formed the National Alliance between his own party, the Justice and Development Party and the smaller nationalist and Islamic parties.

Kemal Kilicdaroglu promises victory in the second round

On Monday, Kemal Kilicdaroglu promised the victory of his camp In the second round from polling, which now appears to be installed. If our nation requests a second round, we’ll gladly accept it. And we will definitely win this second round.He set out in the middle of the night from Ankara, surrounded by representatives of the six parties in his coalition.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan could not achieve the result he expected, despite all the insults. He followed Kilicdaroglu, who uttered it against his opponent.

“The need for change in society is greater than (the number of) 50%; we absolutely have to win democracy in this country.”He said without mentioning the legislative elections that took place at the same time.

The battle of numbers

“It’s going to be a tough 15 days ahead in case of the second round”Senon Ogan, a defector from the nationalist MHPen party, warned against refusing to say which candidate he would support. To be declared the winner, one of the two main candidates must receive a majority of 50% of the vote plus one.

Waiting for the final results, the two sides battled the characters, ordering their observers to remain in the counting positions. ” to the end “. “We are in the lead”Kemal Kilicdaroglu said.

He called one of his right-hand men, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu “Citizens ignore Anatolian numbers”.

Standard engagement rate

In Istanbul, a megacity of 16 million people, Kiliçdaroglu’s 20% of the uncounted vote could help narrow the gap.

In Diyarbakir, the large Kurdish-majority city in the country’s southeast, Kemal Kilicdaroglu won more than 71% of the vote in four-fifths of the ballots counted, according to Anadolu Agency.

Throughout the day, ballot boxes were filled with large mustard-colored envelopes deposited by voters who waited sometimes several hours in front of schools-turned-polling stations. The turnout, which appears to be close to 90%, has not been officially announced.

The concession is a setback for Erdogan

At stake: the choice of the 13th president of the Turkish Republic, who is celebrating its first century, and the future of a head of state who hopes to stay in power after this election that polls have heavily predicted.

The winner must receive a majority of 50% of the vote plus one, under penalty of a second round on May 28 – the date of the symbolic anniversary of the largest popular protest movement that shook power in 2003.

The 64 million voters also had to choose the 600 deputies who would sit in the unicameral parliament in Ankara. In 2018, during the last presidential elections, the head of state won the first round with more than 52.5% of the vote. The abdication would indeed be a setback for him.

“Do not divide Türkiye”

Voters are essentially split between voting for conservative Islamist President Erdogan, 69, and Kemal Kilicdaroglu, at the head of the Republican People’s Party, the secular party of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey.

“I say + complete + with Erdogan”On the contrary, Nurkan Sower calls for a scarf on his head in front of Erdogan’s polling station.

In the bruised city of Antakya, ancient Antakya (south) destroyed by the earthquake, Mehmet Topoglu arrived among the first: “We need to change, that’s enough.”. The wounds were still alive three months after the tragedy.

Kilicdaroglu leads a six-party united front from the nationalist right to the liberal centre-left. He also had the support of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party, the country’s third political force.

Erdogan appears this time before a country battered by an economic crisis, where the currency has halved in two years and inflation topped 85% in the fall.

Confronting him, Kemal Kilicdaroglu played the appeasement card, promising to restore the rule of law and respect for institutions, which Erdogan’s authoritarian drift has abused over the past ten years.

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