Election in Turkey: No major incidents – Politics

In Turkey, voting for the presidential and parliamentary elections ended on Sunday. The polling stations have been closed since 4 p.m. CEST (5 p.m. local time). Reliable results are expected later in the evening. According to the electoral authorities, the election of parliament and the president went off without major problems, although incidents were reported at several polling stations.

The pro-Kurdish opposition party HDP of the German Press Agency confirmed a media report according to which election observers from the sister party YSP were attacked in the south-eastern Turkish city of Mardin. The dispute broke out after observers denied more than one family member access to the polling booth.

A CHP deputy also shared a video showing rows of ballot papers being stamped for President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Şanlıurfa in southeastern Turkey. However, it could not be verified when and where the recordings were made, or whether the ballot papers were real.

Erdoğan follows count in Ankara

In the presidential election, a head-to-head race is emerging between incumbent Erdoğan and opposition leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. Erdoğan surprised early Sunday afternoon by traveling to Ankara, contrary to expectations, after the vote was cast in Istanbul. At noon he said he would follow the results from Istanbul.

It is not yet clear who will get the majority in Parliament with 600 MPs. If none of the candidates gets more than 50 percent of the votes, the two strongest candidates will go to a runoff in two weeks. According to polls, only a low single-digit result is predicted for the candidate of an ultra-nationalist party alliance, Sinan Ogan.

Although he withdrew his candidacy, Muharrem İnce from the Fatherland Party is also pictured on the ballots. According to the electoral authority, if voters put their stamp under him, the vote will still be counted. İnce announced his withdrawal only after the polls of Turks abroad ended earlier. These votes should also be valid. İnce’s withdrawal has made a decision in the first round between favorites Erdoğan and Kılıçdaroğlu more likely.

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