In a closely observed presidential race in Turkey, no single candidate managed to secure more than half the ballots cast in the first round. As a result, a run-off round will be held on May 28th.
The candidates vying for the presidency include the incumbent, Recep Tayyip Erdogan of the AKP, Kemal Kilicdaroglu of the CHP, Meral Aksener of the ATA Alliance, and Muharrem Ince of the Homeland Party.
Based on the results from 99.2% of the ballot boxes opened, Erdogan earned the foremost votes with 49.39%, while Kilicdaroglu got 44.97%.
More than 64.1 million people were registered to vote, including over 1.76 million who cast their ballots abroad and 4.9 million first-time voters, according to the Turkish news agency Anadolu.
In spite of noteworthy voter turnout, none of the candidates garnered the lion’s share (over 50%).
The run-off election on May 28th is set to be a highly-contested affair, with all contenders competing for the hearts and minds of the electorate.