Kemal Kilicdaroglu

To the dismay of secular and Westernized segments of Turkish society Erdogan once again proved his popularity. With 49.5 percent of the votes, he came very close to winning in the first round. The next round is scheduled for Sunday and Erdogan is now the clear favorite. It was not supposed to be that way.

Only a few hours remain before the first presidential runoff in the history of Turkey. Tens of thousands attended election rallies by Recep Erdogan and Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on May 26 urged opposition Nation Alliance candidate Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu to reveal the details of their agreement with the pro-PKK Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), now also known as the Green Left Party (YSP).

Millions of Turkish citizens on May 28 headed to ballot boxes established across the country to cast their votes in the presidential election runoff.

The country has witnessed the first runoff election since the new presidential system was accepted in 2018.

Following an inconclusive result in the initial vote necessitating a runoff election between the top two contenders, incumbent Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Nation Alliance's candidate Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, Turkish citizens are poised to cast their ballots once again on May 28.

Election posters of Turkish presidential candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the opposition Republican People's Party, in Istanbul, 25 May 2023. Photo: EPA-EFE/ERDEM SAHIN

"If there is no change at the ballot box, it will be a disaster in the economy and democracy," Demirtas wrote on Twitter on Friday.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan aims to extend his rule into a third decade in an election on Sunday, with the momentum seen in his favor in the runoff vote after a first round showed him ahead of his challenger, Kemal Kilicdaroglu.

The votes cast by Turkish citizens living abroad for the presidential election runoff, slated for May 28 at home, have reached the capital Ankara.

Votes cast at the ballot boxes reinstalled at 167 points in 151 representative offices across 73 countries were brought to Türkiye by "diplomatic couriers" under high security after voting at diplomatic missions ended on May 24.

Republican People's Party (CHP) leader and Nation Alliance's presidential candidate Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has pledged the citizens to make regulations in order to ease the burden of credit card debts if he is elected as the president in the May 28 polls.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said the 85 million citizens of Türkiye will benefit from the outcome of the May 28 polls if the People's Alliance wins the presidential election runoff.

"If we win on May 28, each of the 85 million individuals will also win," Erdoğan said in an interview with broadcasters Kanal D and CNN Türk on May 25.