Türkiye: Electoral authority: Erdogan is ahead – runoff election likely

According to the electoral authority, the Turkish head of state Recep Tayyip Erdogan is ahead in the race for the presidency, but will probably have to face a runoff election. In Germany, around 95 percent of the ballot boxes have been counted and around 37 percent of the ballot boxes abroad, said the head of the electoral commission, Ahmet Yener, on Monday night in Ankara. Accordingly, Erdogan received 49.49 percent of the votes, opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu 44.79 percent.

Sinan Ogan from the ultra-nationalist Ata Alliance came in a distant third with around 5.3 percent. Muharrem Ince of the Fatherland Party withdrew his candidacy shortly before the election, but his name was still on the ballot papers. 0.43 percent were counted for Ince. It will be important in the run-off which voting recommendation the third-placed Ogan makes.

Kilicdaroglu appeared in front of the press that night together with the party leaders of his six-party electoral alliance. “Despite his defamation and insults, Erdogan did not achieve the result he expected,” he said. The opposition will win and bring democracy to the country.

Erdogan with more power than ever

Since the introduction of a presidential system five years ago, the 69-year-old Erdogan has had more power than ever before and can largely rule without parliament. Critics fear that the country, with a population of around 85 million, could slide completely into autocracy if he wins again. The vote in the NATO country is also being closely observed internationally.

According to an initial assessment by the competent authority, the election ran smoothly. Opposition politicians reported minor incidents from various provinces.

Around 64 million people in Germany and abroad were invited to vote. In Germany, around 1.5 million people with a Turkish passport were entitled to vote.

Tense election campaign: Inflation dominant issue

The election campaign was tense and considered unfair, mainly because of the government’s superior media power. The determining topic was the poor economic situation with massive inflation. Erdogan promised, among other things, an increase in civil servants’ salaries and further investments in the defense industry. He waged an aggressive campaign, calling the opposition “terrorists”. A popular opposition politician had had stones thrown at him just a week before the election. Kilicdaroglu wore a bulletproof vest during a performance in the Erdogan stronghold of Samsun on Friday.

Kilicdaroglu is considered a level-headed politician. He comes from the eastern Turkish province of Tunceli and belongs to the Alevi religious minority. The opposition leader wants to restore the independence of institutions like the central bank and get high inflation under control. He stands for a rapprochement with Germany and the EU, but also for a stricter migration policy.