Turkey’s election results favor Erdogan, but run-off likely as lead not big enough

userMay 15, 2023

Turkey counting votes for presidential election

01:40

By the time nearly all ballots had been counted, Erdogan fell just short of the 50% threshold. Still, thousands of his supporters took to the streets, waving flags and cheering in their victory.ring Incumbent.

“We already have 2.6 million votes ahead of the front-runner in the election,” he declared, vowing to finish counting and respect the results, even if the votes are called again in a few weeks.

Turkish election — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (right) and his wife Emine thank their supporters at the party’s headquarters in Ankara, Turkey, May 15, 2023.

Ali Unal/AP

twin earthquake With President Erdogan’s death toll, which killed more than 50,000 people in February, inflation hovering near a 20-year high, and the country’s currency plunging against the dollar, it all looks politically nearly invulnerable. It has long shaken support for President Erdogan.

Most people in Turkey now seem ready for change since Erdogan first became prime minister in 2003.

While the votes were being counted, opposition candidate Kirikdaroglu reminded his supporters that “the data is still coming in” and reprimanded Erdogan for sounding too triumphant when addressing his supporters. “Elections are not won on balconies!” he warned.

Critics, including Kirikdaroglu, said Erdogan: Accumulated excessive power as president and undermined Turkish democracy. Supporters praise him for reviving Islam, but opponents accuse him of derailing the secularism on which modern Turkey is based.

Erdogan and Kirikdaroglu both agreed to participate in the run-off elections, which will take place in two weeks’ time, if necessary.

For Washington and much of Western Europe, it’s an open secret that the end of President Erdogan’s two decades in power will be to Turkey’s delight.

Ramy Inocensio

Ramy Innocencio is a foreign correspondent for CBS News based in London and was previously the Asia correspondent based in Beijing.

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Turkey counting votes for presidential election

01:40

The country, which straddles the geographical divide between Europe and Asia, could decide whether to return to a more democratic path after what many see as two decades of erosion of democracy. The results of Turkey’s national elections were on the brink on Monday morning. The second A “run-off vote” seemed likely On Sunday, voters failed to give either incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdogan or his main challenger Kemal Kirikdaroglu the 50% or more of the vote needed for a complete victory.By the time nearly all ballots had been counted, Erdogan fell just short of the 50% threshold. Still, thousands of his supporters took to the streets, waving flags and cheering in their victory.ring Incumbent.”We already have 2.6 million votes ahead of the front-runner in the election,” he declared, vowing to finish counting and respect the results, even if the votes are called again in a few weeks.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (right) and his wife Emine thank their supporters at the party’s headquarters in Ankara, Turkey, May 15, 2023.

Ali Unal/AP

Most people in Turkey now seem ready for change since Erdogan first became prime minister in 2003. While the votes were being counted, opposition candidate Kirikdaroglu reminded his supporters that “the data is still coming in” and reprimanded Erdogan for sounding too triumphant when addressing his supporters. “Elections are not won on balconies!” he warned.

Kemal Kirikdaroglu, 74, leader of the center-left, pro-secular Republican People’s Party (CHP), speaks at the party’s headquarters in Ankara, Turkey, May 14, 2023.

APs

Erdogan and Kirikdaroglu both agreed to participate in the run-off elections, which will take place in two weeks’ time, if necessary. For Washington and much of Western Europe, it’s an open secret that the end of President Erdogan’s two decades in power will be to Turkey’s delight.