Turkish presidential election

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's rival vowed Monday to win a runoff election after almost complete results showed neither candidate had secured the required 50 percent of the vote.

"If our nation says second round, we will absolutely win in the second round," Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu told reporters. "The will for change in society is higher than 50 percent."

The results show that the incumbent president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, won 49.39 percent of the votes, and his main rival, Kemal Kılıdaroğlu, won 45 percent, Anadolu Agency reported.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan expressed hope after voting on May 14 that the outcome of Türkiye's biggest election in generations would be "good for the future of the country".

"My hope to God is that after the counting concludes this evening, the outcome is good for the future of our country, for Turkish democracy," he said. 

• More than 64 million Turkish citizens are eligible to vote in the polls. They will choose between three presidential candidates and 36 parties in 87 electoral districts.
• Voters will decide the fate of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his ruling Justice and Development Party, AKP as they face a united democratic opposition.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on May 13 that he views the elections as a "democracy celebration for our country's future," in his election message. 

Meanwhile, Erdoğan on May 12 defended Russia's Vladimir Putin from allegations of meddling in Turkey's crucial weekend election.

The distribution of the ministries will be made according to the number of deputies the Republican People's Party (CHP) and the İYİ (Good) Party will receive, the latter's chair Meral Akşener has said.

Turkish public broadcaster TRT has released campaign speeches of presidential candidates and political party representatives ahead of the May 14 elections as part of a long-standing tradition.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, seeking to renew his tenure, urged voters to "choose trust and prevalence of stability."

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has promised on May 4 a further increase for the second half of the year in wages of employees and retirees.

"In July, we will further relieve our employees and retirees with new increases that take into account both the inflation gap and the welfare share," he said holding a rally in the Black Sea province of Giresun.

Turkish expatriates have shown a high civic engagement in the May 14 elections, which has already started for citizens abroad, as they line up in long queues outside the consulates to cast their ballots.

The government has been working hard to carry Türkiye a step forward after bringing the country to the current level with the policy of "work and service," President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on May 2.