Ankara: Voting has concluded in Türkiye’s elections with more than 64 million eligible voters expected to have cast their ballots to elect a president and parliament for a five-year term.
The polls opened at 8:00 AM (05:00 GMT) and closed at 5:00 PM (14:00 GMT). Media organisations are barred from reporting partial results until an embargo is lifted at 9:00 PM (18:00 GMT).
If no candidate secures more than half the votes in the first round of voting, a May 28 run-off will be held.
A total of 191,885 ballot boxes have been set up for voters in the country.
There are five multiparty blocs in the running: the People’s Alliance, Nation Alliance, Ata Alliance, Labour and Freedom Alliance, and Union of Socialist Alliance.
Polls have officially closed and vote counting has begun in Türkiye’s presidential, parliamentary elections.
1145 GMT — Voter turnout expected to surpass 90 percent threshold
A correspondent Ankara says there is a high voter turnout in Ankara and in Türkiye in general.
In 1987 voter turnout was at 93.3 percent and in 2018 it was at 86.2 percent.
The voter turnout this year is expected to surpass the 90 percent threshold.
Diaspora voting also increased from 50 percent in 2018 to 53 percent this year.
Despite having the convenience of casting her vote through a mobile ballot box, she opted to personally attend the election.
Presidential candidate of ATA Alliance, Sinan Ogan, voted in Ankara with his wife Gokcen Ogan. He called on citizens to celebrate the elections together.
“I wish this election to bring prosperity to our country and our nation. I call on all our citizens to please cast their votes. Let’s have this election together as a celebration peacefully. I am very excited. I thank everyone.”
Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan cast his vote in the country’s presidential and parliamentary elections.
“The voting process continues across the country without any problems. Our citizens in the earthquake region are also voting with great enthusiasm. We did not encounter any problems in that region too,” Erdogan told reporters after casting his vote in Istanbul’s Uskudar district.
He wished a “good future for our country and Turkish democracy”.
Republican People’s Party (CHP) Chairperson and presidential candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu has voted in the elections.
Kilicdaroglu cast his vote in the Arjantin Primary School in Ankara.
Polls have opened across Türkiye on Sunday morning for the country’s presidential and parliamentary elections.
Incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is seeking another term in office, while the opposition candidates are Kemal Kilicdaroglu of Nation’s Alliance and Sinan Ogan of Ata Alliance.
The Supreme Election Board (YSK) announced earlier that more than 64 million citizens are eligible to vote in the elections on 14 May, including more than 3 million voters abroad.
