May 14, 2023 Turkey election news

Our live coverage of Turkey's election has ended for the evening. Read the latest here.

Turkey's presidential election appears to heading to a runoff vote as preliminary results showed neither President Recep Tayyip Erdogan nor his main rival looked to have secured the majority of votes need to win.

State-run Anadolu news agency reported projections based on 97.95% of the votes counted, showing Erdogan having 49.34% of votes, compared to 44.99% for the main opposition candidate, Kemal Kilicdaroglu.

Here's the latest:

• What Erdogan says: Speaking at the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party headquarters in Ankara, the Turkish president claimed to be ahead in the voting. “We believe we will finish this round with over 50% of the votes,” he said. The strongman leader is facing the biggest challenge yet in his two decades in power as he faces economic headwinds and criticism that the impact of the devastating Feb. 6 earthquake was made worse by lax building controls and a shambolic rescue effort.
• What Kilicdaroglu says: The main opposition leader welcomed the prospect of a runoff vote. "If our nation says second round, we gladly accept it," he said in a televised speech at his party's headquarters early Monday. "We will absolutely win this election in the second round. Everyone will see that." Kilicdaroglu earlier accused Erdogan's AK Party of demanding recounts and delaying results in opposition strongholds, including in Ankara and Istanbul.
• Potential kingmaker: The third presidential candidate, Sinan Ogan, an ultra-nationalist allied with Erdogan, took to Twitter on Sunday night to cast doubt over overseas votes and warn the election council to prevent "manipulation." Ogan, who according to preliminary results has about 5% of the vote, could be a kingmaker if the election goes to a runoff. Ogan said a second vote is “quite possible,” and that “Turkish nationalists and Ataturkists are in a key position for this election.”
• Opposition claims: Earlier on Sunday, Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavas, who is the vice-presidential candidate for the main opposition Nation Alliance bloc, contested Anadolu’s results, saying the agency is unreliable. He added that the opposition’s data showed Kilicdaroglu as being ahead of Erdogan.
• What happens next: Ballots of the 64 million eligible to vote are still being counted hours after polling stations closed across the country. A candidate must win over 50% of the vote in order to be elected — otherwise, Turkey will head to a run-off on May 28.

Turkey's opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu said he would welcome a runoff election, as the preliminary results of Sunday's vote showed neither he nor President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had yet received the majority needed to win.

If no candidate wins more than 50% of the vote, they will go to a runoff — which would be a first for Erdogan.

"If the nation wants the second round, then it is welcome by us," Kilicdaroglu said during a televised speech at his party's headquarters early Monday morning.
"The process has been maintained in democratic maturity. It is an additional source of happiness despite Erdogan's allegations and insults, he hasn't got the result he wanted."

Erdogan leads with 49.49% of the vote, with Kilicdaroglu on 44.79% after 91.93% of ballots were counted, the head of Turkey's Supreme Election Council said early Monday.

But Kilicdaroglu remained upbeat about his chances of winning.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is leading the polls with 91.93% of the votes counted so far, the head of Turkey's Supreme Election Council said early Monday.

In a televised speech, council chief Ahmet Yener said Erdogan had received 49.49% of the vote, while his main challenger, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, received 44.79%.

The third presidential candidate, Sinan Ogan, an ultra-nationalist allied with Erdogan, has received 5.29%, Yener said.

Votes are still being counted, Yener emphasized.

If no candidate wins a majority, they will go to a second vote — which would be a first for Erdogan.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed that his lead in the polls will "increase even more" as the final votes are tallied.

“We are already ahead of our closest competitor by 2.6 million votes. I believe that this difference will increase even more with the final results," he told supporters at AK Party headquarters in Ankara.

Erdogan is facing the biggest challenge yet in his two decades in power after millions voted in a landmark election Sunday, with preliminary results indicating he may be forced into a runoff.

State-run Anadolu news agency's latest figures show Erdogan's lead at 49.52% and his main challenger, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, at 44.76%, with 95% of the vote counted. If neither wins a majority, they will go to a second vote — which would be a first for Erdogan.

Erdogan said early Monday they don't know yet "if the presidential election is over in the first round" but said he remained confident about avoiding a runoff.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed early Monday to be leading the vote "by a wide margin" even as preliminary results indicated he may be forced into a runoff.

“Our country has completed another feast of democracy with the 14th of May elections. Although the exact results are not clear yet, we are ahead,” Erdogan told supporters at AK Party headquarters in Ankara.
"We know that we are leading by a wide margin, but we don't know officially what the exact result is because we haven't received it yet," Erdogan added. "And we are waiting for the embodiment of the national will."

State-run Anadolu news agency's latest figures show Erdogan's lead at 49.52% and his main challenger, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, at 44.76%, with 95% of the vote counted. If neither wins a majority, they will go to a second vote — which would be a first for Erdogan.

The third presidential candidate, Sinan Ogan, an ultra-nationalist allied with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, took to Twitter on Sunday night to cast doubt over overseas votes and warn the election council to prevent "manipulation."

Ogan, who according to preliminary results currently has about 5% of the vote, could be a kingmaker if the election goes to a runoff.

"We have heard that some manipulations were carried out in the overseas vote-counting processes. Vote counting is not done in a healthy environment. I warn the YSK [Supreme Election Council]. Take the necessary measures immediately and ensure that the vote-counting processes are carried out quickly. In addition, we will not allow a fait accompli with the manipulation of foreign votes. Do not stress the environment. This is up to the second round," he said.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is fighting for his political survival, as preliminary results indicate he may be forced into a runoff.

State-run Anadolu news agency's latest figures show Erdogan's lead at 49.52% and his main challenger, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, at 44.76%, with 95% of the vote counted. If neither wins a majority, they will go to a second vote -- which would be a first for Erdogan.

The third presidential candidate, Sinan Ogan, an ultra-nationalist allied with Erdogan, currently has 5.28% of the vote, according to Anadolu. This could make him a potential kingmaker in the runoff.

The head of Turkey's Supreme Election Council has just announced 87.13% of the votes have been counted, adding that there have been delays tallying the votes cast abroad.

"I would also like to clarify the criticism which has been voiced in the public that foreign votes are counted late. Considering the increase in the number of voters who cast their votes abroad in 2023, according to 2018 data, and the number of parties participating in the 2018 election is 8, and 24 in 2023, it is seen that the delay in the counting of foreign votes is normal. There is no problem in entering the votes in the district election boards.”