Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the presidential candidate of the People's Alliance, won the election with close to 27.5 million votes in the first round. The opposition candidate Kılıçdaroğlu, who received 48 per cent of the vote, increased his vote by one million from 24.5 million in the first round. Almost half of Turkey said "Continue the struggle" against the one-man rule.
Fatih Polat's election analysis: "Considered together with the results of 28 May, there are some things to think about both in terms of the overall picture of the election and its consequences for the opposition."
Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, CHP Chairman and presidential candidate of the Millet (Nation) Alliance, made a statement regarding the results of the second round of the presidential elections: "We will continue to fight for democracy.”
Fotoğraf: CHP
Here are the highlights of his speech:
“I would like to thank the heads of the Millet (Nation) Alliance, their organisations, our voters, and the citizens who protected the ballot boxes and fought against these immoral and unlawful pressures.”
“As a person of this land, I have always fought for your rights and justice, so that no one oppresses you, so that you can live in abundance, and I will continue to do so.”
“The will of the people to change the authoritarian regime has emerged despite all pressures.”
“We will continue to be at the forefront of this struggle until true democracy comes to our country.”
Labour Party (EMEP) Chairperson Selma Gürkan made a statement on her Twitter account regarding the presidential elections:
Selma Gürkan | Fotoğraf: Evrensel
“1- Erdoğan declared victory based on the inconclusive election results. There has been an antidemocratic election process in which all kinds of oppression and inequality prevailed under the one-man rule, there is no victory.
2- Under these circumstances, it is not possible to say that the election result reflects the democratic will of the people. Even if Erdoğan emerged from the ballot box with numerical superiority, the result is not a political success and victory. The government is systematically losing popular support.
3- Erdoğan and the Cumhur (People’s) Alliance will continue to implement policies that will further aggravate the working and living conditions of workers and labourers. More poverty, unemployment and oppression await the people in the coming period.
4- Workers and labourers have no other way but to unite and struggle to achieve their urgent economic and political demands. The one-man order will come to an end with the united struggle of the labouring masses of people who are the subject of change.
5- It is clear that we will not hold back looking at the election results. We can stop the construction of a reactionary, fascist order by growing the struggle for work, bread and freedom.
#Together We Will Win
#LabourersWin
#PeopleWin"
Cumhur Alliance Presidential Candidate Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made a victory speech. The highlights of his statements are as follows:
Ekran görüntüsü, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan YouTube kanalının videosundan alınmıştır.
“We have completed the second round with the favour of our nation.”
“We said that we will win in such a way that no one will lose. Today, the winner is only Turkey. We opened the door of Turkey's century together. Kısıklı square made history.”
“Now we have 2024 ahead of us. Are we ready to win Üsküdar and Istanbul in the local elections? We will not stop. We will work hard.”
AKP Spokesperson Ömer Çelik made a statement at the AKP Headquarters.
Fotoğraf: Yusuf Koyun/AA
"Turkey has experienced the second round of elections for the first time and has successfully brought it this far. The announced results indicate that the high favouritism towards Mr President continues in a strong manner" Çelik said.
According to the 2nd round presidential election results as of 19.15
Opened ballot boxes: 90.57%
Kılıçdaroğlu 49.24%
Erdoğan 50.76%
Voting for the second round of the presidential election in Turkey ended as of 17.00. Vote counting has started.
Ahmet Yener, Chairman of the Supreme Election Council (YSK), said, "The second round of voting has ended. There has not been any unfavourable situation that has been reflected to our Board so far and had an impact on the voting process. The objections received by our Board have been evaluated and sent to the relevant provincial and district election boards."
Merve Dizdar, who received the “Best Actress Award” at the 76th Cannes Film Festival held in France, returned to Turkey. “Now I will cast my vote immediately” Dizdar said.
Fotoğraf: DHA
Merve Dizdar, who arrived at Istanbul Airport from Nice, France, answered the questions of press members. Dizdar said that she was very happy to bring such an award to Turkey and added, “It is a great honour for a person to come to his country with such an award.”
Dizdar stated that she was very surprised to receive the best actress award and said, “Nuri Bilge Ceylan is already a very great director. He is always a very important director in the world. There were very important actors I competed there, because there were very, very good actors. That’s why I was very surprised because I experienced not just one emotion, but several emotions. But then I came to my senses. There were very important actors. They all liked the film very much. They already know Nuri Bilge Ceylan very well. I came from the road and I am very tired, so I can’t focus. I am going to cast my vote right now. I will cast my vote very immedietly.”
36 years old Merve Dizdar won the Best Actress Award at the 76th Cannes Film Festival for her performance in “About Dry Grass” directed by Nuri Bilge Ceylan. Dizdar, who became the first Turkish actress winning the award dedicated the award to “all my sisters who do not bow down to what they are deemed worthy of, who take action, who risk everything for this cause and who do not give up hope no matter what, and to all the fighting spirits in Turkey who are waiting to live the good days they deserve.”
As the second round of voting for the presidential elections continues in Turkey, Republican People's Party (CHP) officials who detected mass voting in the southeastern city of Urfa were attacked.
Fotoğraf: MA
Former CHP Istanbul MP Ali Şeker, who visited the polling stations in Karaali village of Eyyübiye district, detected mass voting.
According to Şeker, men in the neighbourhood brought the identity cards of women and wanted to vote on their behalf. Stating that this was illegal and that women should also come to the polling station, Şeker and the CHP observer were attacked by a group of 20-30 people.
Şeker, who was hit in the nose, was hospitalised. The gendarmerie that arrived at the scene removed the attacking group from the scene.
CHP MP Mahmut Tanal also announced that he was attacked in Urfa. Tanal posted on his Twitter account and said, “I was also attacked. There is state weakness here! We will not give in to threats and attacks, we will protect the ballot boxes! We are right, we will win.”
Labour Party (EMEP) General Executive Board Member and Gaziantep MP Sevda Karaca cast her vote.
Ekran görüntüsü Sevda Karaca'nın paylaştığı videodan alınmıştır.
Addressing the citizens with a video from the ballot box, Karaca said, “Our struggle for labour and freedom, peace and democracy will continue, we call on all our citizens to go to the ballot box and protect their votes in order to open breathing spaces for this struggle and close the gates of hell together. We will win, labour, freedom, peace and democracy will win.”
Istanbul Chief Prosecutor’s Office issued a detention warrant for 5 people who posted on social media with the allegation of “provocative and manipulation” regarding the runoff of the Presidential Election.
Prosecutor's Office made a statement that "Accounts that publicly disseminate untrue information to disrupt public order and peace in a misleading, unrealistic and false perception in the public opinion through social media accounts, and make provocative and manipulative posts have been taken under investigation.”
According to Anadolu Agency, it was reported that Istanbul Anti-Cyber Crimes Branch Directorate continues to work to identify other accounts that made the posts.
Presidential candidates and political party leaders cast their votes as the second round of the Turkish presidential elections gets underway.
Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the candidate for the Millet (Nation) Alliance and supported by the Labour and Freedom Alliance, told reporters upon casting his vote:
Fotoğraf: Aytaç ünal/AA
“I invite all my fellow citizens to the ballot box to get rid of oppression, to get rid of authoritarian rule, to genuinely bring freedom and democracy to this country. [It is crucial] that they cast their votes, and after casting their votes, to protect the ballot box. This is because this election is taking place under very difficult conditions. All kinds of slander and smear were resorted to, but I trust in the common sense of the people, and I believe that democracy will prevail in this country, freedom will come, people will be able to walk in the streets of this country in peace and be able to criticise politicians freely. I send my heartfelt gratitude to all my fellow citizens who went to the polls, cast their votes and sought their right to vote.”
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the leader of the ruling Cumhur (People's) Alliance, stated the following after casting his vote:
Fotoğraf: Serhat Çağdaş/AA
“For the first time in our Turkish democratic life, we are witnessing a two-round election. The first round was held on 14 May. Now we are holding the second round on 28 May. Naturally, there are no parties here, the ballot paper is not a metre in length. There are only two candidates. Since our people will give their votes [only] to these two candidates, I believe that today's voting will hopefully end very quickly. This is the first time we are witnessing such a vote in the presidential elections in Turkish democratic life, and there is no country in the history of the world that has had as high a participation as of up to 90 per cent [of the electoral]. But Turkey, with a participation of up to 90 per cent, waged a democratic struggle in the most beautiful way and I believe that today it will do so in the same way. I ask Allah [for the elections] to bring blessings to our country and our nation. I especially would like to appeal to my citizens to ensure that the participation is ensured until the last moment without complacency.”
Mithat Sancar, Co-Chair of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), a constituent of the Labour and Freedom Alliance, cast his vote in Ankara. Making his statement in a school garden, Sancar said, “Everyone should go to the polls and vote because this is not just a presidential election. We are voting for the future of Turkey. I believe it will pave the way for a bright future. Voters should fulfil their duty until the last moment to protect their votes and will. Tomorrow we will wake up to another day. We will embark the road to a new beginning together.”
HDP Co-Chair Pervin Buldan said, “I hope and wish that today’s result will be instrumental in Turkey's democratisation, peace, prosperity and peace. One vote can change the fate of the country. One vote can change the fate of society. So please everyone cast your vote. The result we will get this evening will definitely be instrumental in changing the destiny of this country.”
Labour Party Chair, Selma Gürkan cast her vote in Izmir.
Fotoğraf: Emek Partisi
Gürkan said in her statement: “We are leaving behind another difficult election process with injustice, lawlessness and inequality. We hope that the election results will open the door to the struggle for democracy.”
In the first round of the elections held on 14 May, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan received 49.52 percent of the valid votes and Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu received 44.88 percent of the valid votes, according to the YSK results published in the Official Gazette. Since none of the candidates received more than 50 per cent of the votes, the elections were left to the second round.
For today's run-off election, 191,885 ballot boxes were set up in 973 districts and 1094 district election boards across the country. More than 60 million voters in the country will vote in the election.