Voting started in Turkey’s first-ever runoff election on Sunday (May 28) which could see President Recep Tayyip Erdogan extend his rule for a third decade. Voting started at 8 am (0500 GMT) and would close at 5 pm. President Erdogan won the first round on May 14 but fell just short of an outright majority against his secular challenger Kemal Kilicdaroglu.
Kilicdaroglu, 74, is the candidate of a six-party opposition alliance and leads the Republican People’s Party (CHP). His camp has struggled to regain momentum after the shock of trailing Erdogan in the first round.
The outcome of the runoff election would start becoming clearer by early Sunday evening, the news agency Reuters reported.
What will this election decide?
This election would decide not only who leads Turkey, but also how the country is governed, where its economy is headed after the currency plunged to one-tenth of its value against the dollar in a decade and the shape of foreign policy.
President Erdogan’s critics have said his government muzzled dissent, eroded rights and brought the judicial system under its sway, a charge denied by officials.
Economists, on the other hand, pointed out that it was Erdogan’s unorthodox policy of low-interest rates despite surging prices that drove inflation to 85% last year, and the lira slumping to one-tenth of its value against the dollar over the last decade, Reuters reported on Sunday.
When it comes to foreign affairs, Turkey forged closer ties with Russia, and its relations with the United States and the European Union (EU) became increasingly strained.
The voting numbers
Over 64 million Turkish citizens were eligible to vote (on Sunday) at nearly 192,000 polling stations. And there are 3.4 million voters overseas, who voted between May 20-24. Polling stations across the country opened at 8 am (0500 GMT) on Sunday and close at 5 pm (1400 GMT). The sale of alcohol is banned on election day.
When will the result be out?
The new election rules state that news, forecasts and commentaries about the vote are banned till 6 pm (1500 GMT) and media are only free to report on the election results from 9 pm (1800 GMT).
However, the High Election Board may allow the media to report on results earlier, Reuters reported. The results of the runoff election are likely to emerge earlier than they did on May 14 because of the relative simplicity of the ballot paper.
(With inputs from agencies)
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