Sunday’s general election saw incumbent leader President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s twenty+ years in office under threat. With a huge opposition coalition of six political parties united with the sole aim of ending Erdoğan’s overwhelmingly positive sweeping reforms, in addition to revitalising the Islamic spirit within the state, here are the live results, as published by Yeni Şafak and sourced directly from Anadolu Agency. [1] [2]
Numbers continue to trickle in
As the above figures indicate, neither Erdoğan or the Leader of the Main Opposition, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu – an economist by trade and retired civil servant who currently heads up the Republican People’s Party (CHP) – are within touching distance of an outright majority.
With 99.4 and 99.3 per cent of presidential and parliamentary ballot boxes, respectively, having been accounted for (as of 08:24 BST), many political commentators are predicting a run-off vote. In this eventuality, the second round is expected to take place on Sunday, 28 May.
Erdoğan has a sizeable lead with 49.4 per cent of the presidential vote, with the AK Party likewise having an even bigger chunk of the parliamentary vote, with a 35.5 per cent share.
“We believe we’ll finish … with over 50 per cent”
The president remained jubilant and optimistic in remarks that saw him thank those who had lent him their personal backing in the presidential vote, in addition to supporting the AK Party in the parliamentary elections.
As reported by Anadolu Agency, Erdoğan stated,
“I would like to express my gratitude to each of my citizens who went to the polls with a record turnout and reflected their preferences for the future of their country and themselves.
“Our country has a functioning [model] that sets an example for the world in terms of both the exercise of political rights and freedoms and the reliability of the electoral system.
“If our nation’s decision shows that the presidential election is over, there’s no problem. If our nation has made its choice in favour of a second round in the election, it is welcome to do so. We believe we’ll finish this round with over 50 per cent of the votes.” [1]
This morning, the head of Turkey’s Supreme Electoral Board, Ahmet Yener, told journalists in Ankara,
“As of 09:45 am [07:45 BST], the counting process was completed in 192,187 ballot boxes. The counting process has been completed in 99 per cent of the ballot boxes set up across the country.
“Currently, the vote counting process has not started yet in 27 ballot boxes in the country.” [1]
AKP goes from strength to strength
The Justice and Development Party or the Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi (AK Parti) has been hugely successful in electoral races since its formation in August 2001.
Indeed, as the only political party to have ever won six consecutive general elections, many Turks have, time and again, placed their trust in the conservative-democratic group.
Francesco Cavatorta, Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at Université Laval, Québec, Canada, noted in 2020 that the AKP is the only major political party that has representation in all 81 Turkish provinces. [3]
CHP seeks first electoral win in 46 years
In comparison with the AKP’s successes at the ballot box, the CHP has suffered from nearly half a century of drought when it comes to elections.
Although it is Turkey’s oldest political party, with roots dating back to 1923, the most recent win was in the 1977 general election (resulting in a minority government).
It is increasingly likely that this long spell in opposition will continue for the short-term, particularly as any second round of voting in this year’s elections will likely provide Erdoğan and the AKP with more than enough votes to form a government, and to retain a healthy and clearly strengthened majority in the Grand National Assembly.
Also read
- Turkish election: a humbling victory for Islam
- Scholars of the Ummah call for re-election of Erdoğan
- AK Party triumph in Turkey for the 15th election running
- Three Important Things Turkish Elections Prove Every Time
- Turkey’s AK Party ratifies military deployment and joint co-operation with Qatar
Source: Islam21c
Notes
[2] Yeni Şafak
[3] Cavatorta, Francesco (29 December 2020). Routledge Handbook on Political Parties in the Middle East and North Africa. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-000-29330-2.
