Presidential election: Erdogan misses majority in Türkiye – runoff decides

In the presidential election in Turkey, incumbent Recep Tayyip Erdogan received the most votes – but has to face a runoff. The head of the electoral commission, Ahmet Yener, announced on Monday that Erdogan narrowly missed out on an absolute majority according to the preliminary result. He now faces second-placed challenger Kemal Kilicdaroglu in a runoff on May 28.

Far behind in third place was Sinan Ogan from the ultra-nationalist Ata Alliance. He could now play the role of kingmaker. Election observers complained that the vote in Turkey did not meet democratic standards.

According to the electoral authority, Erdogan received 49.51 percent of the votes, while opposition leader Kilicdaroglu received 44.88 percent. The third-placed Ogan reached 5.17 percent. In Turkey, around 61 million people were called on Sunday to elect a new parliament and president. An additional 3.4 million people with Turkish passports were entitled to vote abroad. Voter turnout was at a record level of around 88.9 percent. Due to the expected domestic and foreign policy effects, the election in Turkey was considered one of the most important in the world this year.

Who will Ogan support?

Observers assume that Ogan’s supporters wanted a change after 20 years with Erdogan, but saw no alternative in Kilicdaroglu and his six-party alliance. Ogan told the German Press Agency that he has not yet decided whether he will support Erdogan or Kilicdaroglu in the runoff. He would like some assurances, for example on the fight against terrorism and the repatriation of refugees. It is unclear whether Ogan’s divided supporters would follow an election recommendation.

The electoral authority did not initially announce the result of the parliamentary election. However, it became apparent that Erdogan’s government alliance was able to defend its majority. Since the introduction of a presidential system in 2018, the president has had far-reaching powers, but the parliament with its 600 MPs has been weakened.

The pro-Kurdish opposition party HDP, which supported Kilicdaroglu in the presidential election, was disappointed with the outcome of the election. Co-party leader Mithat Sancar also complained about repression against his party. The counting of votes during the night was sometimes chaotic. The opposition had meanwhile accused the ruling party of praising Erdogan’s values.

Election observers complain about processes

A delegation of election observers from the Council of Europe and the OSCE in Ankara complained that there was a lack of transparency in the counting of votes. The electoral authority should make it clear how exactly they publish election results. The observers criticized that Erdogan and his government had had “unjustified advantages” through the media superiority. The opposition was sometimes under massive pressure.

Erdogan (69) was in a good mood in front of cheering supporters in Ankara on Monday night and started a song. Kilicdaroglu, 74, said: “Despite his defamation and insults, Erdogan has not achieved the result he expected.” He was confident that the opposition would win the second round.

In power for 20 years

Erdogan became prime minister in 2003 and has been president since 2014. During the election campaign, he advertised major projects in the infrastructure and armaments industry. He presented these as successes of his government. In the face of rampant inflation, he promised election gifts such as wage increases for civil servants and public employees.

Opposition leader Kilicdaroglu is running for an alliance of six parties with different ideological orientations. Among other things, he promised to abolish the presidential system, to democratize the country and to reduce the massive inflation.