Turkish general election

The opposition Nation Alliance has said that it sees the upcoming presidential election runoff as a "referendum," making calls on people to vote for democracy.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has announced that the government will hand over the first batch of new homes to earthquake victims by October or November, underlining that their priority will be the reconstruction of the quake-hit provinces if they win the presidential elections on May 28.

"With the strength I have derived from affection, I have spent my whole political life to serve our nation. I became Mayor of Istanbul, Prime Minister and President of Türkiye, but I have never given up this quest, this determination,"President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on May 19.

Waiting for Spring

A couple walks under a poster of the Turkish presidential candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), the day after the general election, in Ankara, Turkey, 15 May 2023. Photo: EPA-EFE/SEDAT SUNA

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has reiterated his calls for Turks living abroad to cast votes for the second round of the presidential elections as the four-day voting process for around 3.4 million eligible electors will begin on May 20.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan vowed on May 18 that his government will continue to stand by the Feb. 6 earthquake victims.

"I hope we will heal our wounds together with state-nation solidarity. We will not leave our earthquake survivors unattended and will continue to stand by them," he tweeted.

U.S. President Joe Biden is "looking forward to working with whoever" wins Türkiye's knife-edge election, the White House has said on May 15 as it praised the NATO ally for holding a peaceful vote for the runoff.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on May 15 that his alliance will emerge victorious in the May 28 runoff election and achieve historic success.

"The May 14 elections, one of the elections with the highest participation in our history, took place in a festive atmosphere befitting our democracy, with the prudence and foresight of our beloved nation," Erdoğan said.

There is no doubt that the presidential and parliamentary elections are very important for Turkey because they will determine the fate and course of its political and economic future.

Türkiye's historic presidential and parliamentary elections on May 14 witnessed a high voter turnout at 86.2 percent.

The figure was barely below the 88.2 percent turnout in 2018 when Turkish voters headed to ballot boxes to elect the president and members of the parliament.