Turkey election: Qatar emir congratulates Erdogan on win, over 97 percent of votes counted

As we conclude today's live blog, incumbent leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan has all but won Turkey's presidential election runoff.

Qatar's Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has congratulated him.

"My dear brother Recep Tayyip Erdogan, congratulations on your win. I wish you success in your new term and hope that you achieve in it what the brotherly Turkish people aspire to in terms of progress and prosperity," Al Thani tweeted in Arabic.

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Erdogan has all but won after over 97 percent of vote counted

Recep Tayyip Erdogan has all but won in Turkey's presidential election runoff.

He has secured 52.21 percent of the votes counted so far, while Kemal Kilicdaroglu is on 47.79 percent.

Currently, 97.12 percent of the vote has been counted, according to Turkish public broadcaster TRT World.

Qatar emir congratulates Recep Tayyip Erdogan on election win

Qatar's Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has congratulated Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on winning the presidential runoff.

"My dear brother Recep Tayyip Erdogan, congratulations on your win. I wish you success in your new term and hope that you achieve in it what the brotherly Turkish people aspire to in terms of progress and prosperity," Al Thani tweeted in Arabic.

He added that he hopes the "strong relations" between Doha and Ankara grow.

Over 95 percent of vote counted, Erdogan in pole position

Recep Tayyip Erdogan's has won 52.33 percent of the votes counted so far, while Kemal Kilicdaroglu is on 47.67 percent.

Currently, 95.14 percent of the vote has been counted, according to Turkish public broadcaster TRT World.

Erdogan lead continues to narrow but hope fades for Kilicdaroglu

Recep Tayyip Erdogan's lead continues to narrow, but hope fades for Kemal Kilicdaroglu after over 94 percent of ballots have been counted.

Erdogan has secured 52.43 percent of the votes counted so far, while Kemal Kilicdaroglu is on 47.57 percent.

So far, 94.11 percent of the vote has been counted, according to Turkish public broadcaster TRT World.

Over 90 percent of votes now counted, Erdogan still in pole position

Recep Tayyip Erdogan has secured 52.50 percent of the votes counted so far, while Kemal Kilicdaroglu is on 47.50 percent.

So far, 92.96 percent of the vote has been counted, according to Turkish public broadcaster TRT World.

Almost 90 percent of ballots counted, Erdogan ahead

Recep Tayyip Erdogan has secured 52.72 percent of the votes counted so far, while Kemal Kilicdaroglu is on 47.28 percent.

So far, 89.81 percent of the vote has been counted, according to Turkish public broadcaster TRT World.

Erdogan still ahead but vote share drops below 53 percent

Recep Tayyip Erdogan's vote share has dropped below 53 percent as ballots continue to be counted.

He has secured 52.93 percent of the votes counted so far, while Kemal Kilicdaroglu is on 47.07 percent.

So far, 87.55 percent of the vote has been counted, according to Turkish public broadcaster TRT World.

Erdogan ahead after over 80 percent of ballots counted

Recep Tayyip Erdogan has secured 53.41 percent of the ballots counted so far, while Kemal Kilicdaroglu is on 46.59 percent.

So far, 82.64 percent of the vote has been counted, according to Turkish public broadcaster TRT World.

Erdogan still in pole position after almost 80 percent of ballots counted

Recep Tayyip Erdogan has won 53.70 percent of the ballots counted so far, while Kemal Kilicdaroglu is on 46.30 percent.

So far, 79.09 percent of the vote has been counted, according to Turkish public broadcaster TRT World.

Erdogan's vote share has continued to narrow as more ballots have been counted but he remains in pole position.

Erdogan ahead after over three-quarters of ballots counted

Recep Tayyip Erdogan has won 54.03 percent of the ballots counted so far, while Kemal Kilicdaroglu is on 45.97 percent.

So far, 75.62 percent of the vote has been counted, according to Turkish public broadcaster TRT World.

Erodgan still ahead but lead narrows

Recep Tayyip Erdogan is still ahead after 71.45 percent of the votes in Turkey's presidential election runoff have been counted.

The incumbent has a 54.37 percent vote share while opposition candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu is on 45.63 percent, according to Turkish public broadcaster TRT World.

Erdogan still ahead after just under 50 percent of vote counted

Recep Tayyip Erdogan so far has 56.4 percent of the vote, compared to opposition candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu's 43.6 percent.

So far, 49.4 percent of ballots have been counted, Al Jazeera reports.

Erdogan leads after 42.8 percent of ballots counted

Recep Tayyip Erdogan is leading so far in Turkey's presidential election runoff.

With 42.8 percent of ballots counted, he has 57.1 percent of the vote to opposition candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu's 42.9 percent, Al Jazeera reports.

Claims of irregularities in Turkey election runoff

Claims have been made of irregularities in the Turkish presidential runoff.

One woman said her dead mother was on the list of voters despite passing away eight years back.

"We haven't encountered such a situation in the elections held since 2015," she was quoted as saying by the left-wing BirGun paper.

Legal observers came under attack in an area close to Syria, lawyer Ronayi Paydas alleged.

He said this happened after they attempted to prevent more than one voter at once accessing the voting booth, Al Jazeera reported.

The broadcaster also reported on other alleged instances of irregularities.

But after polls closed, Ahmet Yener, chief of the Supreme Election Council, said "no negative issues have been reported" and that objections have been addressed, according to pro-Turkish government paper the Daily Sabah.

The New Arab could not independently verify any of the claims.

Waiting for Turkey election results? Listen to The New Arab Voice

If you're waiting for the results of Turkey's presidential election runoff, have a listen to this recent episode of The New Arab Voice podcast, published before the first round of voting took place.

Polls close as counting gets underway

Polls have closed in Turkey's presidential election runoff, with vote counting now underway.

Preliminary results are expected later on Sunday in one of Turkey's most important elections in its 100-year history as a post-Ottoman state.

Poll set to close at 17:00 local time (1400 GMT)

Polls in Turkey's presidential election runoff were set to close right about now, at 17:00 local time (1400 GMT).

Turkey voters divided in Erdogan's Istanbul birthplace

In a working-class Istanbul harbour where President Recep Tayyip Erdogan grew up playing football, Hasan Karakaya had only one description for Turkey's president after voting on Sunday: "He's the best."

"I was the first to vote. I have voted for the same one, always the same one," the lemonade seller in his 50s told AFP.

Taxi driver Ozcan Ege also glowed with praise for Kasimpasa's favourite son.

Ege, 65, grew up in the neighbourhood and remembers Erdogan as a "hard-working" and "intelligent" teenager, predicting he will win with 60 percent of the national vote.

"But here he will have 90 percent," he said.

'No one like Erdogan'

Yasar Kirici, 80, was the neighbour of the future president. "He came by the front of our door every day. He was a great lad," he said.

The man supporters reverently call "Reis" ("chief") visited Kasimpasa just before the first round and "greeted us from his car", Kirici said with a smile.

"He doesn't come here a lot anymore. He doesn't have the time, he's busy sorting the world's problems," he added.

Textile worker Mustafa Siper said Kasimpasa electors would vote "100 percent" for Turkey's longest-serving leader.

Secular challenger Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the head of a six-party opposition alliance, "can't win", he concluded.

But not everyone in Kasimpasa is a fervent follower of Erdogan and his Islamic-rooted party.

Sitting outside his shop with a steaming cup of tea, Hasan Kirci once vied with Erdogan during games of street football -- this time he's opposing the 69-year-old at the ballot box.

Kirci, 70, said he opted for Kilicdaroglu because a local football pitch was closed and "now all the youngsters are taking drugs".

Cost-of-living concerns

His neighbour Recep Ozcelik, 75, will also vote for Kilicdaroglu, blaming Erdogan for a severe cost-of-living crisis.

"How much does a kilo of cheese cost now?" fumed the retired driver, complaining about the difficulties of eating meat like he used to.

Kilicdaroglu is also making inroads among Kasimpasa's younger voters, including 30-year-old Ramazan Parlak.

"He's a democrat, he's an honest man," Parlak said of the opposition leader. "Turkey has become Afghanistan. If Erdogan wins, I will leave for Germany or France."

But taxi driver Ege dismissed the economic troubles plaguing Turks. "Inflation isn't a problem, people always have a little money," he said.

Erdogan: Popular with poorer Turks, but crackdowns have caused concern in West

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is lionised by poorer and more rural swathes of Turkey's fractured society because of his promotion of religious freedoms and modernisation of once-dilapidated cities in the Anatolian heartland.

"It was important for me to keep what was gained over the past 20 years in Turkey," company director Mehmet Emin Ayaz told AFP, before voting for Erdogan in Ankara.

"Turkey isn't what it was in the old days. There is a new Turkey today," the 64-year-old said.

But Erdogan has caused growing consternation across the Western world because of his crackdowns on dissent and pursuit of a muscular foreign policy.

He launched military incursions into Syria that infuriated European powers and put Turkish soldiers on the opposite side of Kurdish forces supported by the United States.

His personal relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin has also survived the Kremlin's war on Ukraine.

Turkey's troubled economy is benefiting from a crucial deferment of payment on Russian energy imports that helped Erdogan spend lavishly on campaign pledges this year.

Erdogan also delayed Finland's membership of NATO and is still refusing to let Sweden join the US-led defence bloc.

Runoff results expected sooner than in first vote

Initial results for the second round of Turkey's presidential election are expected sooner than in the earlier vote that took place on 14 May.

"We think the results will be concluded more quickly [after voting ends] due to the fact that only presidential candidates are competing," said Ahmet Yener, chief of the Supreme Election Board, according to state news agency Anadolu.

Spiderman votes in Turkey's election runoff

Earlier, we reported that one voter had brought a lamb with her to cast her ballot.

Suffice to say, even then we didn't imagine a superhero would be among those deciding Turkey's next president.

But that's exactly what happened in Adana, where Spiderman, or someone dressed up as him, showed up to vote.

Did anyone ask whether the hero's spidey senses were tingling? It's a long wait for the results.

🕸 Adana'da bir vatandaş ''örümcek adam'' kostümüyle oy kullandı. pic.twitter.com/Twk8xaABPW

— gdh (@gundemedairhs) May 28, 2023

Opposition candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu's transformation

Kemal Kilicdaroglu re-emerged a transformed man after the first round of Turkey's presidential election, in which current President Recep Tayyip Erdogan came out ahead but fell just short of the majority needed to avoid today's runoff.

Former civil servant Kilicdaroglu's old message of social unity and democracy has given way to desk-thumping speeches about the need to immediately expel migrants and fight terrorism.

His right-wing turn was targeted at nationalists who emerged as the big winners of the parallel parliamentary elections.

The 74-year-old had always adhered to the firm nationalist principles of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the military commander who formed Turkey and Kilicdaroglu's secular CHP party.

But these had played a secondary role to his promotion of socially liberal values practised by younger voters and big-city residents.

Analysts question whether Kilicdaroglu's gamble will work.

His informal alliance with a pro-Kurdish party left him exposed to charges from Erdogan of working with "terrorists".

The government portrays the Kurdish party as the political wing of outlawed militants.

And Kilicdaroglu's courtship of Turkey's hard right was hampered by the endorsement Erdogan received from an ultra-nationalist who finished third two weeks ago.

(AFP, Reuters)

What are voters saying in Diyarbakir, the largest city in Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeast?

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is hoping to defeat opposition candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu in the country's election runoff today.

What do voters in Diyarbakir have to say?

"In the first round I voted for Kilicdaroglu for the presidency. But this time, [Erdogan's] AK Party has the majority in parliament. If Kilicdaroglu is elected it will be difficult for it to function," said Mahmut Cin, 29.

"I voted this time for Erdogan for stability, so that there will not be any problem between parliament and the president."

"Enough is enough. Change is essential to overcome the economic crisis and problems that Turkey faces, so I voted for Kilicdaroglu again. We are hopeful and determined," said housewife Canan Tince, 34.

"It is important for Turkey's future that the president and parliament, where he has a majority, work together under the same roof. Hence I voted for Erdogan again for stability," said retiree Faruk Gecgel, 54.

(Reuters)

What are voters saying in Turkey's largest city of Istanbul?

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is hoping to defeat opposition candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu in the country's election runoff today.

What do voters in Istanbul have to say?

"Turkey became an undemocratic country. I want to see a stronger Turkey, close to the European Union. I want to live in a country that respects rule of law and ECHR [European Court of Human Rights] rulings," said Sukru Ucar, 35.

"Last time I was more hopeful, but I believe change will happen. If Erdogan wins, I will consider leaving Turkey."

"I voted for Erdogan because he is a world leader. I voted for him because I appreciate the things he has done for Turkey. He changed the health system for good. He built roads," said construction worker Omer Kosekol, 58.

"We love him [Erdogan] a lot. With God's permission he will win. The country has many problems but if anyone can solve them, he can," said Nuran, who voted at the polling station in Istanbul where Erdogan cast his vote.

"I expect hope to come out of this election," said opposition supporter Ali Sakrak.

"This will be a referendum for our youth and our nation. I hope our citizens will make the right decision."

(Reuters)

What are voters saying in Turkey's capital Ankara?

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is hoping to defeat opposition candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu in the country's election runoff today.

What do voters in Ankara have to say?

"We all see what has happened over the past 20 years. We all see how our country changed. Nobody can deny this," said housewife Songul Aslan, 45, after voting for Erdogan.

"I voted for our country to continue improving, getting better in every aspect. Economic hardships are there, but they are solvable issues. Turkey can overcome anything as long as we stand strong."

Gulcan Demiroz, 32, said she hoped the vote would bring change and that otherwise her friends would go abroad, as she and her boyfriend were considering doing, for a better life.

"This country deserves better. We need a collective of minds, not a powerful, cold, distant man who rules single handedly," said Demiroz, who works in the textile industry, after voting for Kilicdaroglu.

"We are voting today for our children, for our grandchildren, for them to see a better future," said 66-year-old Kemal Ustunel.

"Inflation is skyrocketing and I can't see anyone in the current government to stop the situation. [Kilicdaroglu] has prepared his teams of wise people. God willing, he will take the country out of this pit."

"I think it will not be easy for Kilicdaroglu, he is an honest person but not all of his choices were correct," said Burak, 23, who voted for him after backing 3rd placed candidate Sinan Ogan in the first round on 14 May.

"I hope he wins and this country can breathe a little after such a long period. Otherwise I'm afraid we'll see hard times."

(Reuters)

Voter shows up to cast ballot with lamb

You've heard of dogs at polling stations but in Istanbul, this Turkish voter decided to bring a lamb.

No need to be sheepish.

İstanbul’da bir vatandaş kuzusuyla oy kullanmaya geldi. pic.twitter.com/UlP01ZbG6N

— Onedio (@onediocom) May 28, 2023

Sick, disabled Turks cast ballots from home

Turks unable to cast ballots at polling stations because they are disabled or have an illness have still managed to vote.

One woman in Adiyaman province, aged 18, benefitted from portable cabins authorities took to her home, Turkish state news agency Anadolu reported.

A ballot box was transported to the home of an elderly man, 90.

Turkey's "mobile ballot box" scheme aims to help those whose sickness or disability has confined them to their bed.

'Get rid of this authoritarian regime', opposition candidate Kilicdaroglu urges voters

Turkish opposition candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu urged voters to "get rid of this authoritarian regime" in Sunday's historic presidential runoff election.

"I order to get rid of this authoritarian regime… I invite all my citizens to cast their ballot," the secular opposition leader said after casting his ballot in Ankara.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on voters "to turn out without complacency" after voting with his wife Emine in Istanbul.

Turkey election in pictures: images from Istanbul

Here are some photos from Istanbul, courtesy of The New Arab's Arabic service Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

Both candidates vote in election runoff

Both candidates in today's election runoff have voted.

The challenger, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, did so in Ankara, while current President Recep Tayyip Erdogan cast his ballot in Istanbul.

Young couple show up to vote in Turkey election ahead of wedding

A young couple have turned up to vote in Turkey's presidential election runoff today.

Nothing unusual, except that while they're choosing who they want to lead their country for the next five years, they're about to celebrate something even bigger at their wedding. 

Ozge Coban, 23, and Ismail Coban, 24, were dressed in attire fit for the occasion as they voted in Duzce, a city in Turkey's northwest.

Here's a picture of them captured by state news agency Anadolu.

Process at polling stations smoother in presidential election runoff

The New Arab's Arabic language service Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reports a smoother process at polling stations for the presidential election runoff.

Citing its correspondent in Turkey, it reported that there has been a "noticeable difference" compared to the first round of voting.

Despite a high turnout, the voting process is smoother and faster than the previous one.

A contributing factor is that there is only one ballot paper that carries the names of the candidates: President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the opposition's Kemal Kilicdaroglu.

The previous round had included the parliamentary elections, which saw a longer ballot paper measuring nearly one meter, leading to delays in the voting process.

Turkish voter Najdat Erol told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that "the voting process in this round went more smoothly than expected, contrary to concerns about overcrowding that occurred in the previous round".

Erol attributed the lack of overcrowding to the "change in the voting procedure, which has become more convenient. There is only one ballot paper, the size of an envelope, and it is sufficient to stamp it, put it in the envelope, and then place the envelope in the box. This process takes less than a minute, unlike the previous round."

Turkey's election runoff in numbers

Turkey election runoff: the facts you need to know

Turks will be electing a president for a five-year term.

More than 64 million Turks are eligible to vote at nearly 192,000 polling stations, including more than six million who were first-time voters on 14 May. There are 3.4 million voters overseas, who voted between 20 and 24 May.

Polling stations in Turkey opened at 08:00 (0500 GMT) on Sunday and close at 17:00 (1400 GMT). The sale of alcohol is banned on election day.

Turnout in Turkish elections is generally high. On 14 May, the overall turnout was 87.04 percent of eligible voters, with a level of 88.9 percent in Turkey and 49.4 percent abroad.

Under election rules, news, forecasts and commentaries about the vote are banned until 18:00 (1500 GMT) and media are only free to report on election results from 21:00 (1800 GMT).

However, the High Election Board may allow media to report on results earlier and usually does.

Results on Sunday evening are likely to emerge earlier than they did on 14 May given the relative simplicity of the ballot paper.

(Reuters)

Who's backing who in Turkey's election runoff?

After the first round of voting, third-place presidential candidate and hardline nationalist Sinan Ogan said he endorsed President Recep Tayyip Erdogan based on a principle of "non-stop struggle [against] terrorism", referring to pro-Kurdish groups.

He achieved 5.17 percent of the vote in the first round.

Another nationalist, Umit Ozdag, leader of the anti-immigrant Victory Party (ZP), announced a deal declaring ZP's support for Kilicdaroglu, after he said he would repatriate migrants.

The ZP won 2.2 percent of votes in this month's parliamentary election.

A closely-watched survey by pollster Konda for the runoff put support for Erdogan at 52.7 percent and Kilicdaroglu at 47.3 percent after distributing undecided voters.

The survey was carried out on 20–21 May, before Ogan and Ozdag revealed their endorsements.

Another key is how Turkey's Kurds, at about a fifth of the population, will vote.

The pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) party endorsed Kilicdaroglu in the first round but, after his lurch to the right to win nationalist votes, it did not explicitly name him and urged voters rather to reject Erdogan's "one-man regime" in the runoff.

(Reuters)

Erdogan's toughest political test

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has pulled out all the stops on the campaign trail as he battles to survive his toughest political test.

He commands fierce loyalty from pious Turks who once felt disenfranchised in secular Turkey and his political career has survived the failed coup and corruption scandals.

"Turkey has a longstanding democratic tradition and a longstanding nationalist tradition, and right now it's clearly the nationalist one that's winning out. Erdogan has fused religious and national pride, offering voters an aggressive anti-elitism," said Nicholas Danforth, Turkey historian and non-resident fellow at think tank ELIAMEP.

"More Erdogan means more Erdogan. People know who he is and what his vision for the country is, and it seems a lot of them approve."

Erdogan has taken tight control of most of Turkey's institutions and sidelined liberals and critics. Human Rights Watch, in its World Report 2022, said Erdogan's government has set back Turkey's human rights record by decades.

However, if Turks do oust Erdogan, it will be largely because they saw their prosperity, equality and ability to meet basic needs decline, with inflation that topped 85 percent in October 2022.

(Reuters)

What are voters saying in Diyarbakir, stronghold of Turkey's pro-Kurdish HDP party?

In the city of Diyarbakir in the mainly Kurdish southeast, retiree Faruk Gecgel, 54, said he voted for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as he did two weeks ago in the first round.

"It is important for Turkey's future that the president and parliament, where he has a majority, work together under the same roof. So I voted for Erdogan again for stability," he said.

Housewife Canan Tince, 34, said she voted for Kilicdaroglu, who on 14 May received nearly 72 percent support in the city – a stronghold of the main pro-Kurdish opposition party, the HDP.

"Enough is enough. Change is essential to overcome the economic crisis and problems that Turkey faces, so I voted for Kilicdaroglu again. We are hopeful and determined," she said.

The HDP has backed Kilicdaroglu in a race where the votes of Turkey's Kurds could prove crucial.

(Reuters)