CHP members watch TV after the first results at the CHP building in Istanbul on May 14, 2023, after polls closed in Turkiye's presidential and parliamentary elections first round. Photo by Yasin AKGUL / AFP
ANKARA, Turkiye: Turkiye's electoral chief said that the presidential race will go to a second round on May 28 as incumbent Recep Tayyip Erdogan fell just short of an outright victory.
Ahmet Yener, the head of the Supreme Electoral Board, said Monday that even when the remaining 35,874 uncounted overseas votes were distributed, no one would secure the majority needed to win the elections outright.
He said preliminary results showed Erdogan won 49.51%, his main challenger Kemal Kilicdaroglu won 44.88% and the third candidate Sinan Ogan won 5.17%. Even if all uncounted votes went to Erdogan, his votes would move up to 49.54%, Yener said.
