Turkey’s Supreme Election Authority, the MSK, reported that incumbent President Tayyip Erdogan had not yet crossed the 50 percent threshold in the presidential race after votes from a large portion of stations had been tallied. The latest figures, based on about 92 percent of ballot boxes processed, showed Erdogan below the outright majority needed to win in the first round. The update came from the MSK and was carried by major news agencies at the time of the report. [TASS]
In the race for the presidency, Republican People’s Party candidate Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu appeared to lead among the opposition camp with a vote share close to the mid-forties, according to the evolving tally. He was positioned as the main challenger to the sitting president as results continued to come in from across the country. [TASS]
The electoral rule is clear: to win immediately, a candidate must secure more than half of all valid votes cast, plus one. With counting ongoing, the picture remained fluid, and analysts cautioned that shifts in later batches could influence the final outcome. [TASS]
Among the other candidates, Sinan Oğan, leading a broader alliance bloc, held a smaller yet notable share of the vote, while Muharrem İnce appeared on early tallies with a modest percentage before announcing his withdrawal from the race. In line with electoral procedures, the MSK confirmed that votes directed to him would still be counted as valid during the final tally. [TASS]
Observers noted that, prior to the latest returns, Kılçdaroğlu was positioned as the only major opposition figure in the field, challenging the incumbent president’s assertion about the pace and direction of the campaign. Analysts highlighted the evolving dynamics of the election, including regional variations, voter turnout patterns, and the influence of ongoing political discourse on the final result. [TASS]