Türkiye is preparing for a run-off election, where Erdogan is doing better than expected

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The presidential race will be decided by a second round of voting later this month, ITV News international affairs editor Rajeh Omar reports.

The vote on May 28 will be between the president, who received 49.5% of the vote, and his main opponent, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who received 45%.

The remaining uncounted votes were not enough to propel Erdogan to outright victory, even if they all disagreed.

In the last elections in 2018, Erdogan received 52% of the vote in the first round.

Erdogan, right, and his wife Emine make a gesture to supporters at the party headquarters, in Ankara on Monday Credit: PA

Erdogan, who has led the country for nearly 20 years, has seen his popularity plummet in recent months after inflation spiraled out of control and the country was hit by a devastating earthquake.

But he did better than expected and his party retained control of the Turkish parliament.

“We will definitely win the second round … and achieve democracy,” said his opponent, Kilicdaroglu, 74.

Opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu on a billboard in Istanbul. Credit: A.P

The elections come as the country is gripped by economic turmoil that critics blame on the government’s mismanagement of the economy and an acute cost of living crisis.

Turkey is also reeling from the effects of a powerful earthquake that wreaked havoc in 11 southern provinces in February, killing more than 50,000 people.

Erdogan’s government has been criticized for its late and stalled response to the disaster, as well as lax enforcement of building codes that have exacerbated the misery.

Despite these results, reported by the state-run Anadolu Agency, showed Erdogan’s party dominating the quake-hit region, winning 10 out of 11 provinces.

Turkey’s election authority, the Supreme Elections Board, said it is providing numbers to competing political parties “immediately” and will announce the results once the counting is completed and finalized.

Millions turned out to vote. Credit: A.P

NATO and Turkey’s European neighbors were watching the elections closely as Erdogan slowly became more authoritarian and critical of the West.

Turkey’s location on the border between the Middle East and Europe, as well as its control of the Black Sea, means that it is a vital partner for the United Kingdom, the United States, and their allies.

Kilicdaroglu promised to mend relations with the West if he won as well as to put Turkish democracy first in contrast to Erdogan’s more authoritarian policies.

The election results showed that the coalition led by Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) looked set to retain a majority in the 600-seat parliament, even though the assembly lost much of its legislative power after a referendum to change the country’s system of government to an executive presidency narrowly passed in 2017. This year marks the 100th anniversary of Turkey’s establishment as a modern, secular republic born on the ruins of the Ottoman Empire after World War I.

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