Initial results from Türkiye’s key presidential and parliamentary elections continue trickling in after some 61 million citizens cast their ballots on Sunday.
Unofficial data from the capital Ankara has so far shown that more than 67% of the ballot boxes have been opened.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, seeking reelection, is pulling ahead in the capital with more than 48%, while his main rival Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has won more than 45% of the votes, results say.
Smaller candidate Sinan Oğan has managed to clinch at least 6.5% of the votes while another contender Muharrem Ince garnered 0.4% despite dropping out of the race earlier on Thursday. Despite his withdrawal, the Supreme Election Council (YSK) – Türkiye's election authority – has affirmed the validity of votes for Ince.
More than 64.1 million people were registered to vote, including over 1.76 million who have already cast their ballots abroad and 4.9 million first-time voters. A total of 191,885 ballot boxes have been set up for voters in the country. Every voter cast two ballots, one for the president and the other for lawmakers, who will serve five-year terms. Over 30 political parties and 150 independent parliamentary candidates are competing in the elections.
Five multiparty blocs are in the running: the People's Alliance, the Nation Alliance, the Ancestral Alliance, the Labor and Freedom Alliance, and the Union of Socialist Forces Alliance.
According to the YSK, voting went ahead without disruptions.
