Turkey's presidential election goes to a second round
According to the unofficial results, Erdoğan finished the first round ahead. The second round will be held on 28 May.
Turkey went to the polls for presidential and parliamentary elections.
14 Mayıs 2023 07:33
Auto-update in every 10 minutes.
11:17
LATEST UPDATE FROM YSK CHAIR
Ahmet Yener, the chair of the Supreme Election Council (YSK), provided an update in the morning of 15 May, after votes were casted. Yener made a public statement confirming that 99% of the ballot boxes have now been opened in Turkey. Only 27 ballot boxes are yet to be opened.
Yener noted that out of the 9594 ballot boxes abroad, 8065 ballot boxes were opened and 1529 ballot boxes is yet to open. So far 84.06% ballot boxes from abroad have been counted.
Yener also responded to some criticisms, and claimed that there was no problem in the data entry from their end.
Based on the latest update given by Yener, the percentage share is as follows:
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan: 49.40%
Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu: 44.96%
Sinan Oğan: 5.02%
Muharrem Ince: 0.44%
09:22
According to the unofficial results, Erdoğan finished the first round ahead. The second round will be held on 28 May.
02:02
PARLIAMENTARY DISTRIBUTION ACCORDING TO UNOFFICIAL VOTES
According to unofficial results, the ANKA agency announced that 98.88% of the ballot boxes are opened, while the state-run Anadolu Agency announced that 93.21% are opened.
According to the results reported by ANKA (98.88%):
AKP, with 36.38% of the vote, will have an estimated 270 parliamentary seats, while MHP, with 10.26%, will have 51 parliamentary seats. Thus, the People's Alliance will send 322 MPs to Parliament.
CHP has the possibility of 170 MPs with 26.27% of the vote. The Good Party seems to have 44 MPs with 10.18%. Thus, the Millet Alliance will send a total of 214 MPs to the Parliament.
In the Labor and Freedom Alliance, which is likely to send a total of 64 MPs to Parliament, the Green Left Party is likely to have 62 MPs with 8.84% of the vote, while TİP is likely to have two MPs, one from Hatay and one from Istanbul with 1.23% of the vote.
According to the results announced by the Anadolu Agency (93.21%):
AKP, with 35.58% of the vote, will get an estimated 268 parliamentary seats, while MHP, with 10.24%, will get 51 parliamentary seats. Thus, the People's Alliance will have 319 MPs in the Parliament.
With 25.08% of the vote, the CHP can have 167 MPs. The Good Party seems to have 44 MPs with 9.90%. Thus, the Millet Alliance will have 211 MPs in the Parliament.
In the Labor and Freedom Alliance, which has the possibility of having a total of 64 MPs to the Parliament, the Green Left Party is likely to have 62 MPs with 8.73% of the vote, while TİP is expected to send three MPs from Istanbul 1st and 3rd regions and Hatay with 1.42 % of the vote.
TWO CANDIDATES FROM EMEP IN PARLIAMENT
On the other hand, İskender Bayhan and Sevda Karaca, candidates of the Labour Party from the Green Left Party list, were also elected to the Parliament.
According to information provided to Evrensel by Doğan Ergün, Deputy Chairman of the Workers' Party of Turkey (TİP), Can Atalay, Sera Kadıgil, Ahmet Şık and Erkan Baş were elected as MPs from TİP. Lawyer Can Atalay, who was sentenced to 18 years in prison in the Gezi Park case, was nominated from Hatay. Chairperson Erkan Baş, a candidate from Istanbul's 3rd district, won 2.47% of the vote, and Sera Kadıgil, a candidate from the 1st district, won 2.55% of the vote.
FIRST DEPUTY FROM CHP IN DIYARBAKIR AFTER YEARS
For the first time during the AKP rule (after 2002), the CHP won a parliamentary seat in Diyarbakır. Sezgin Tanrıkulu entered the Parliament. In Dersim, CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu's hometown, CHP failed to win a deputy. Ayten Kordu from the Green Left Party won the only deputy in Dersim.
CHP won in Erzincan with Mustafa Sarıgül. In the 2018 elections, both MPs had come from the AKP. Sarıgül broke this equation. CHP's controversial candidate Sadullah Ergin also secured a seat in Parliament.
HDP, which had previously raised a candidate in Antalya, failed to secure a deputy in the elections, this time under the Green Left umbrella. On the other hand, according to AA data, Presidential Candidate Recep Tayyip Erdoğan received 72.81% of the votes in his hometown Rize, where Erdoğan had received 77.0% of the votes in the 2018 elections. Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu received 80.20% in his hometown Dersim, and Sinan Oğan received 11.90% in his hometown Iğdır.
01:13
BRAWL AT ANTEP COURTHOUSE
As vote counting continues in Turkey's critical elections, a brawl broke out in the southeastern city of Antep during the vote counting process at the courthouse. The tension between AKP and CHP officials at the Şehitkamil district high election council turned into a short-lived brawl.
Police intervened in the brawl after AKP representatives taunted CHP officials.
01:02
FROM KILIÇDAROĞLU TO THE GOVERNMENT: IT IS TURKEY’S DEMOCRACY THAT YOU ARE BLOCKING
Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, Presidential Candidate of the Millet (Nation) Alliance and Chairman of the main opposition party CHP, made a statement on the ongoing vote counting in Turkey.
Fotoğraf: CHP
The highlights of Kılıçdaroğlu’s statements are as follows:
“They are blocking the system with objections one after another. There are ballot boxes objected to six times and even 11 times. What you are blocking is Turkey’s democracy. We will not allow this to be a fait accompli. Let the votes come in, and let the result be known as soon as possible. Do not be afraid of the will of the people."
“Let the votes come; the people of this country cannot tolerate uncertainty anymore.”
“We are here until every single vote is counted.”
00:18
AA: ERDOGAN'S VOTE DROPPED TO 49 PERCENT
According to state-run Anadolu Agency's data, President Erdoğan's vote dropped to 49.67.
23:12
SUPREME ELECTION COUNCIL: NO DISRUPTION OR DELAY
The Supreme Election Council (YSK) made a statement on the ongoing presidential and parliamentary elections in Turkey.
Ahmet Yener, The Chairman of the YSK said, "There is no disruption or delay in data entry. The data is shared with political parties instantly. As of now, 47.08 percent of the domestic votes and 12.60 percent of the votes casted abroad have been registered into the system ."
22:48
KILIÇDAROĞLU: WE WILL NOT SLEEP TONIGHT
Presidential Candidate and CHP Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu made a statement on his social media account.
Ekran görüntüsü CHP yayınından alınmıştır.
"The fiction that started with 60 per cent has now fallen below 50. Our ballot box observers and election board officials should never leave their positions. We will not sleep tonight, my people. I warn the YSK, you have to ensure data entry in the provinces" affirmed Kılıçdaroğlu.
22:42
STATEMENT FROM AA
In a written statement, Anadolu Agency said: "We reject all kinds of baseless accusations and allegations against our company and declare that we will use our legal rights to the fullest against all accusations and allegations that contain disinformation."
22:28
ACCUSATIONS AGAINST ANADOLU AGENCY ON THE RISE
As vote counting continues in Turkey's presidential and parliamentary elections, accusations of manipulation against the state news agency Anadolu Agency (AA) are mounting.
Journalist Timur Soykan drew attention to the fact that AA opened the ballot boxes in AKP strongholds at a high rate. Soykan made the following posts on his Twitter account:
"1- How does the Anadolu Agency manipulate? Let's reveal it with screen evidence. Let's explain from the screen of Hürriyet (Newspaper). Let's take Ankara's data as an example. The rate of opened ballot boxes in Ankara is 41.47 per cent.
2- You can click on Keçiören, the AKP's stronghold in Ankara, and let's look at the rate of opened ballot boxes: 51.35 per cent.
3- Let's look at the rate of opened ballot boxes in Çankaya, the stronghold of CHP in Ankara: 21.11 per cent. In other words, Anadolu Agency opens the ballot boxes in AKP strongholds at a high rate and manipulates the results in this way. You can see this very clearly by looking at AA screens."
Journalist Murat Yetkin, speaking on Fox TV, made a similar comment and claimed, "We are facing the biggest media operation in history." Yetkin argued that AA had been instructed to "show the difference between Erdoğan and Kılıçdaroğlu at 10 per cent until Erdoğan speaks".
ERDOĞAN FALLS BELOW 51 PER CENT IN ANADOLU AGENCY DATA
According to the state news agency Anadolu Agency (AA), President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan fell below 51 per cent. As of 21:29, according to AA, the rate of opened ballot boxes was 74.91, Erdoğan's vote was 50.97 percent and Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu's vote was 43.22 percent.
According to the data of the main opposition party CHP, the latest situation in the presidential elections is as follows:
Total Number of Ballot Boxes : 192.169 Number of Ballot Boxes Opened: 128.453
In most of the eastern and southeastern cities, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the candidate of the Millet (Nation) Alliance, is leading the presidential elections. The rate of ballot boxes opened in some cities and Kılıçdaroğlu's vote rates are as follows
GÜRKAN: AKP IS OBJECTION TO EVERY BALLOT BOX IN ANKARA
EMEP Vice Chairperson and Green Left Party MP candidate for Ankara 1st region Selma Gürkan said that AKP is trying to delay the counting. Posting on Twitter, Gürkan affirmed, "AKP's new tactic. In Ankara, information is coming from the ballot boxes where KK (Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu) received a lot, there are AKP objections to every ballot box, it cannot go to the district election board and the results do not turn into data. AKP may have tactical war plans, but we are patient, we are stubbornly following, we are not giving up"
21:14
DEMİRTAŞ: PROTECT YOUR VOTES, LET THE WHOLE TURKEY WIN
Former HDP Co-Chair Selahattin Demirtaş wrote on his Twitter account: "Even if it takes days for the results to be finalised, never leave the polling stations and election boards. The opposition is definitely ahead and it will be over in the first round. Protect your votes, may the whole Turkey win."
20:50
ÖMER ÇELİK DEFENDED AA
AKP Spokesperson Ömer Çelik defended Anadolu Agency against criticisms that agency manipulated the election results. "AA shares these data through real people" Çelik said in a statement.
Fotoğraf: DHA
Çelik said, "Before the results were finalised, suddenly the spokesperson and mayors of the alliance against us appeared on TV in a panic and said in a classic way that AA distorted the data. It does not matter whether a political party likes the data or not. What is this panic? They need to be patient, there is no need to panic" he said.
20:35
MANIPULATION ALLEGATIONS OVER INITIAL RESULTS
Presidential and parliamentary elections counting is ongoning in Turkey. The Supreme Electoral Council (YSK) lifted the election bans as of 18.30. The opposition reacted to the first results of the public broadcaster Anadolu Agency (AA) as “manipulation”, which showed Recep Tayyip Erdogan ahead.
Ekrem Imamoglu, the Mayor of Istanbul and Mansur Yavas, the Mayor of Ankara, who are also the vice presidential candidates of the Millet (Nation) Alliance, made a joint statement.
Ekran görüntüsü, 'Ekrem İmamoğlu' YouTube hesabının yayınından alınmıştır.
Imamoglu said that “Anadolu Agency case is on the agenda. AA reputation is below zero. It has no credibility. After giving two hours of data, AA, after receiving the real results in Istanbul, cut the data flows, so AA is in no effect for us."
YAVAS: KILIÇDAROGLU IS NOW AHEAD
Mansur Yavas also said in his statement: "AA is not reliable. They are not embarrassed either. The percentage of the opened ballot boxes is 23.87. Kemal Kılıcdaroglu is currently ahead. Trust us, believe us. The correct information is here. God willing, we will complete in the first round," he said.
CHP Istanbul Provincial Chair Canan Kaftancıoglu is also in Istanbul: As of 19.17, 15 per cent of the ballot boxes entered the system and shared the following results:
Kemal Kılıçdaroglu: 51.33 per cent
Recep Tayyip Erdogan: 43.94 per cent
Sinan Ogan: 4.45 per cent
Muharrem Ince: 0.28 per cent
CHP Spokesperson Faik Oztrak said at a press conference: "Anadolu Agency is doing its traditional manipulation for the last time. So far, we see the picture extremely positive."
PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE KEMAL KILICDAROGLU: WE ARE AHEAD
Kemal Kılıçdaroglu, the presidential candidate of the National Alliance, also posted "We are ahead" on his social media account.
18:24
PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE KILIÇDAROĞLU: DO NOT LEAVE THE POLLS NO MATTER WHAT
Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the Presidential candidate of the Millet (Nation) Alliance, wrote on his social media account:
“I would like to address our heroes of democracy. Until the last signed ballot box report is delivered, never leave the ballot boxes, no matter what. The full and correct manifestation of the nation's will depends on your determination. You will see, it will be worth your tiredness.”
17:52
VOTING IS OVER AT TURKISH ELECTIONS, FIRST MESSAGES: NOW IS THE TIME TO PROTECT THE BALLOT BOXES!
The voting process for the Presidential and 28th Term Parliamentary General Elections was completed as of 17.00 throughout Turkey.
Fotoğraf: AA
The Supreme Board of Elections (YSK) announced that the voting process for the Presidential and 28th Term Parliamentary General Elections was completed without any problems. Ahmet Yener, the Chairman of the YSK, said: “The voting process for the Presidential and 28th Term Parliamentary General Elections has been finalised and there has been no negative situation reflected to the Board so far.”
ERCUMENT AKDENIZ: PEOPLE WILL PROTECT THEIR WILL
Ercument Akdeniz, the Chairman of the Labour Party (EMEP) stated, “Now it is time to protect our votes and ballot boxes. The people will protect their will” on his social media account.
Şimdi oylarımıza, sandıklara sahip çıkma zamanı. Halk iradesine sahip çıkacak.
Imprisoned for 7 years, former HDP co-chair Selahattin Demirtas wrote on his social media account, “You have put the labour and determination of a very long time into the ballot box. I congratulate you all. Now it is time to protect the votes.”
Çok uzun zamanların emeğini ve kararlılığını sandığa attınız. Hepinizi tebrik ediyorum. Şimdi oylara sahip çıkma zamanı. pic.twitter.com/kD3rRJ7dw2
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on his social media account, “Dear friends and companions, the voting process has been completed across our country in a manner befitting our democracy. Now, as always, it is time to firmly protect the ballot boxes. Continue to protect the will of our nation until the results are finalised.”
Değerli dava ve yol arkadaşlarım...
Oy verme işlemi ülkemiz genelinde, hamdolsun, demokrasimize yakışır bir şekilde tamamlandı. Şimdi, her zaman olduğu gibi sandıklara sıkı sıkıya sahip çıkma vakti. Sonuçlar kesinleşinceye kadar milletimizin iradesini korumaya devam!..
Iskender Bayhan, Green Left Party Istanbul MP candidate made a statement to our newspaper after casting his vote.
Fotoğraf: Özgür Gültekin/Evrensel
Bayhan, who is also a member of the General Executive Board of the Labour Party (EMEP), stated that he and his accompanying delegation visited the polling stations in the 3rd District of Istanbul in order to prevent any problems that could jeopardise the security of the elections.
Bayhan said, “There is a huge turnout. We have seen queues forming at the polling stations since the early hours of the morning. If the participation continues like this, we will witness the election with the largest turnout. Although it is not widespread, we encounter problems caused by the disruptions caused by the one-man rule, such as the use of thin paper, the YSK seal on the front side of the paper. Despite all these, serious precautions have been taken in the 3rd district of Istanbul where we are following the election. Especially Green Left Party and CHP members have serious preparations for ballot box security. As the Green Left Party, we cannot organise polling station staff, but we are trying to fill this gap with observers. As I said at the beginning, although it is not common, we encounter the tricks of one man, but despite all this, we will win.”
16:46
ELECTION IRREGULARITIES IN ANTEP AND DIYARBAKIR
Voting is underway in Turkey in the presidential and parliamentary elections that could put an end to the rule of Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the AKP.
In the southeastern city of Antep, citizens who went to the polling stations to vote in a neighborhood where Green Left Party voters reside densely, learned that they had been registered as polling clerks in remote villages by the Vatan Party, a small, nationalist party that supports Erdogan, without their knowledge. For this reason, the lawyers of the Green Left Party went to the courthouse and filed an objection on behalf of the people who were not allowed to vote in the polling stations where they were registered.
The Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), which participates to the elections under the umbrella of the Green Left Party, announced in a statement that approximately one thousand voters of the Green Left Party were registered as members of the ballot box committee on behalf of the Vatan Party without their knowledge.
A similar irregularity was also uncovered in Diyarbakir. Nearly 200 people in Diyarbakir, were registered as members of ballot committees in other districts against their knowledge and will and could not vote.
People who are members of ballot box committees are required to obtain a so-called “142 certificate” from the District Election Boards and vote. Those who were members of the ballot committee without their knowledge could not cast their votes because they did not have this document. After the irregularities were revealed, applications were made to the district election boards for the 142 certificates.
15:12
PARTY LEADERS HAVE CASTED THEIR VOTES: SPRING WILL COME TO THIS COUNTRY
The eyes of the world are on the Turkish elections. Party leaders casted their votes. Presidential candidate Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu said, “Spring will come to this country from now on”
Voting for the presidential and parliamentary elections in Turkey started at 08.00 local time. Political party leaders also casted their votes.
Fotoğraf: Erçin Ertürk/AA
Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the biggest rival of current President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the presidential candidate of the Millet (Nation) Alliance, casted his vote in the capital Ankara. Kılıçdaroğlu said, “I would like to thank all my compatriots. I would like to express my sincerest love and respect to all my citizens who went to the polls and voted. We have all missed democracy, being together and embracing each other. From now on, you will see that spring will come to this country.”
Current President and Presidential candidate of the Cumhur (People’s) Alliance Erdoğan casted his vote in Istanbul. Making a statement, Erdoğan said, “The most important thing to be said after casting our vote is that I have been following for Turkish democracy since this morning. According to the information I received from my Minister of Interior, the process continues without any problems. It is very important for our voters to cast their votes without worrying and to show the strength of Turkish democracy.”
İyi Party Chairperson Meral Akşener, one of the components of the Millet Alliance, said while casting her vote in Istanbul: “We carried out a good work as the Millet Alliance. Only I held rallies in 45 places. We have all worked very hard. We have experienced a lot of slander and nonsense. These are not important right now. We are moving on to the part that we all respect the election results. The decision of the honourable nation is above our heads”
Temel Karamollaoğlu, the leader of the Felicity (Saadet) Party, another component of the Millet Alliance, made an assessment after casting his vote with his wife in Ankara and said, "Our nation will make its final choice today. We hope that by midnight all the ballot boxes will be opened and counting will be almost completed. If there are any minor conflicting issues, they will be resolved by tomorrow."
MAY OUR VOTES LEAD TO PEACE, JUSTICE AND DEMOCRACY
Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Co-Chair Pervin Buldan, one of the components of the Labour and Freedom Alliance, was in Van. Speaking after casting her vote, Buldan said, “It is time for everyone to get the fruits of their labour. People from all over Turkey will vote. I hope that our votes will be instrumental in the peace, love, justice and democracy of this country. 82 million people have hope in today’s elections. By casting our votes today, we are making this call to all of Turkey with the hope that it will be instrumental in peace, brotherhood but also democracy.”
Fotoğraf: MA
HDP Co-Chair Mithat Sancar said after casting his vote in Ankara, “The most important task of democratic responsibility is to cast your vote. It is to reflect the will of the people to the ballot box.”
Workers’ Party of Turkey (TİP) Chairman Erkan Baş was among the leaders who casted their votes in Istanbul. After chatting with the polling station staff for a while and examining the ballot paper while waiting in the queue for the booth, Baş had his photo taken with the party members who came to vote.
FOR EQUALITY, FREEDOM AND PEACE TO COME TO THIS COUNTRY...
Labour Party (EMEP) General Board Member Sevda Karaca, who is a candidate for Gaziantep MP from Green Left Party, casted her vote in Gaziantep where she is a candidate.
Fotoğraf: Evrensel
Karaca used the following expressions: “We are at the polling stations for equality, freedom, peace and tranquility to come to this country. Each and every one of us will be on duty so that people in this country can leave the ballot box as they cast their votes. Because it is time for change. It is time for peace, peace and labour in this country. It is time for the sweat of the brow to get its due. Against all irregularities, we are here for the people of Gaziantep to win. We will continue to be here.”
WHO IS WHO IN TURKISH ELECTIONS?
Most political parties are entering the elections with 5 different alliances under the names of “Cumhur”, “Millet”, “Ata”, “Labour and Freedom” and “Socialist Power Union” alliances.
In this context, AKP, MHP, BBP and Yeniden Refah are participating in the elections under the name of “Cumhur (People's) Alliance”.
CHP, İYİ Party, Saadet Party, Future Party, DEVA Party and Democratic Party formed the “Millet (Nation) Alliance”.
The Greens and Left Future Party (Green Left Party) and the Workers’ Party of Turkey (TİP) are running under the name of “Labour and Freedom Alliance”. HDP, which is in the process of a lawsuit filed with the Constitutional Court demanding its dissolution, is also participating in the elections from the lists of the Green Left Party. The Labour Party (EMEP) is also on the Green Left Party lists.
Victory (Zafer) Party and Justice (Adalet) Party are running under the name of “Ata” alliance, while Communist Party of Turkey, Communist Movement of Turkey and Left Party are running under the name of “Socialist Power Union Alliance”. (EVRENSEL DAILY)
In Turkey, 60 million 697 thousand 843 voters will vote for the election in which the president and new members of the parliament who will serve for 5 years will be elected.
According to the order determined by lot, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Muharrem İnce, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and Sinan Oğan will be on the ballot paper. Muharrem İnce announced his withdrawal from the candidacy on 11 May, but his name will still appear on the ballot.
Some political parties are entering the elections with 5 different alliances under the names of "People's", "Nation", "Ata", "Labour and Freedom" and "Socialist Power Union" alliances.
In this context, AKP, MHP, BBP and Yeniden Refah are participating in the elections under the name of "People's Alliance".
CHP, İYİ Party, Felicity Party, Future Party, DEVA Party and Democratic Party formed the "Nation Alliance".
The Greens and Left Future Party (Green Left Party) and the Workers' Party of Turkey (TİP) are running under the name of "Labour and Freedom Alliance". HDP, which is in the process of a lawsuit filed with the Constitutional Court demanding its dissolution, is also participating in the elections from the lists of the Green Left Party. The Labour Party (EMEP) is also on the Green Left Party lists.
Zafer Party and Justice Party are running under the name of "Ata" alliance, while Communist Party of Turkey, Communist Movement of Turkey and Left Party are running under the name of "Socialist Power Union Alliance".
