Turkish Opposition Wins at Polling Stations Opened in Georgia

According to Anadolu Agency, 1013 Turkish nationals voted from Georgia. 8 ballots were nullified. By this time, vote counting at all stations has been completed.

The preliminary results of the election show, that incumbent Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is seeking to retain the presidency for a third consecutive term, received 315 votes (31.34%), while his chief rival, opposition’s Kemal Kilicdaroglu, amassed a double of 639 (63.58%). 39 votes (3.88%) were cast for Sinan Ogan and 12 for Muharrem Ince, the latter withdrawing his candidacy days before the election.

As for the parliamentary elections, Kilicdaroglu's Republican People’s Party received 432 votes (43.07%); Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party came a far second with 223 votes (22.23%), and the Good Party placed third with 92 votes.

More than 1,300,000 Turkish citizens took part in the elections at the polling stations opened abroad. According to preliminary results, more than half, about 56%, voted for Erdogan, and about 40% for Kilicdaroglu. In the parliamentary elections abroad, Erdogan's party leads with 43%, with the People's Republican Party (25%) and Nationalist Movement Party (10%) in second and third.

Neither candidate seems likely to exceed the 50% threshold, which is necessary to secure victory within the first round. After counting 99.31% of the ballot boxes, the two main candidates, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Kemal Kilicdaroglu have 49.41% and 44.96% support, respectively. A head-to-head round two will take place among them on May 28 to determine the winner.

The People’s Alliance, which is led by the Justice and Development Party, won the parliamentary elections. According to preliminary data, the alliance has 49% of the vote, which translates to about 322 seats in the 600-member parliament. The second place went to Nation Alliance, which is tied with Republican People’s Party; they received 35% votes and around 212 seats.