“Turkish Elections: Erdogan and Kilicdaroglu Cast Their Votes in Presidential Runoff”

Turkish elections

The outgoing Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said today, Sunday, that the victor today is Turkey and we will not give up on democracy, considering that the Turkish people made it a holiday after their vote in the elections.

Erdogan added, during a speech he delivered while celebrating among his supporters, with the imminent announcement of his victory in the Turkish presidency, that he won the run-off with the support of the Turkish people, indicating that he who serves the people is never defeated, and that Turkey is a trust in his neck.

Erdogan said earlier Sunday that it is time to protect the will of the people until the last minute, calling for the protection of the ballot boxes until the final results.

Prior to that, his rival, the Turkish presidential candidate, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, called on voters to “vote to get rid of an authoritarian regime,” after casting his vote at a polling station in the capital, Ankara.

“I call on all citizens to vote for true democracy and freedom in this country and for getting rid of an authoritarian regime,” Kilicdaroglu said.

He called on the voters to stay near the polling stations after closing at 17:00 (14:00 GMT), because “these elections took place in very difficult circumstances.”

He assured his supporters, who applauded him upon his exit from the polling station, that “all kinds of slander and defamation were unleashed,” adding, “But I trust the common sense of the citizens, and democracy will surely come to this country, freedom will come.”

For his part, outgoing President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is considered the most likely candidate in the unprecedented second round of the presidential elections, estimated that the voting “will end quickly” after casting his vote, accompanied by his wife, Emine.

Erdogan expressed his hope that the participation rate in the second round of the presidential elections in Turkey will reach 90%.

He said, “For the first time in the history of Turkish democracy, the presidential elections are being held in two rounds. There are only two candidates left for our people to choose. Turkey showed for the first time in the history of the world a turnout of 90%. I hope the turnout today will be the same.”

“No country in the world has a voter turnout of 90 percent. Turkey is almost reaching that percentage,” Erdogan said. “I ask the citizens to come and vote without weakening,” he added.

Turkish voters returned to the polls today to decide whether to choose the leader who has run the country for a long time, or to overthrow him and bring in his rival, who has promised to restore democracy.

Kilicdaroglu casts his vote with his wife today

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has ruled Turkey for 20 years, is the favorite to win a new 5-year term in the second round of elections after he was close to winning the first round on May 14.

Erdogan finished the first round four percentage points ahead of Kemal Kilicdaroglu, a candidate of a six-party alliance who is the leader of the main opposition party.

Preliminary results are expected within hours of polls closing at 5 p.m.

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