- The contentious Turkish elections show that Recep Tayyip Erdogan had an early lead against Kemal Kilicdaroglu
- The sitting president, who has been in power for the last two decades, had 52.2% of the votes on Sunday as Kilicdaroglu had 41.9%
- Erdodgan's lead later dipped, falling to 49.52% with 95% of the votes counted
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan takes an early lead against opposition candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu in the national election as some 47%of the votes were counted on Sunday.
Watchers and other international governments closely observe the contentious elections. Erdogan has been the one who led Turkey, which is a member of the NATO military alliance, as either prime minister or president in the last two decades.
Erdogan Takes Early Lead in Turkish Elections
The sitting president garnered 52.2% of the vote from the partial count, as his rival, Kilicdaroglu, got 41.9%. Opinion surveys in the run-up to the election indicated that Erdogan narrowly trailed Kilicdaroglu.
The latest elections, which focus more on domestic issues such as the country's economy, civil rights, and the earthquake in February that killed more than 50,000 people, were seen as one of the toughest re-election bids for the long-time leader, as per CBS News.
During his first decade as leader, Erdogan received praise for transforming the country into an economic and political success story. However, in the last ten years, he has faced criticism from local and international watchers. He has continued to quash dissent and adopted new rules and laws that are seen as typical of autocratic regimes.
One issue that is being focused on amid the elections is Turkey's current high inflation and its battle with an ongoing cost-of-living crisis. The president's opponents and many economists have blamed Erdogan's unorthodox economic policies for the situation.
Kilicdaroglu, on the other hand, is a secular social Democrat who emphasized his messages of freedom and democracy during his campaign trail. The opposition alliance he is a part of has promised to roll back constitutional changes introduced after a 2017 referendum that expanded the powers of the country's presidency.
President Claims Being Far Ahead of Election Rival
Erdogan argued that he was far ahead of his closest rival in the elections but said he was unsure of his victory in the first round of voting. According to Aljazeera, he spoke at his party's headquarters in Ankara on Saturday, noting that he was 2.6 million votes ahead of Kilicdaroglu.
The president noted that they have always respected the decision of the national will and said they will continue to do so in this election as well. Erdogan added that he is expecting his lead to rise with official results.
With 95% of the votes counted, Erdogan's lead dipped to 49.52% as Kilicdaroglu's support rose to 44.76%. CNN said that if neither of the two candidates wins a majority, they will be forced to go to a second vote, which would be the first time for the sitting president in his two-decade rule.
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