Erdogan says he leads polls for parliament and presidency

ANKARA

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said on May 15 he and his party had a “clear lead” in the presidential and parliamentary elections although the official results are not declared yet.

“We know that we are clearly ahead in the election, but we are waiting for the manifestation of the national will, as the full extent of the result is not yet officially before us,” Erdoğan said addressing his supporters after midnight.

“If our nation’s decision shows that the presidential election is over, there’s no problem. If our nation has made its choice in favor of a second round in the election, it is welcome to do so,” he noted.

Erdoğan said Türkiye had completed “another festival of democracy with the May 14 elections.” The polls have seen a large turnout and the figure was one of the highest in Türkiye’s election history, he emphasized.

Türkiye has a functioning system that sets an example for the world in terms of both the exercise of political rights and freedoms and the reliability of the electoral system, the president said.

“I would like to express my gratitude to each of my citizens who went to the polls with a record turnout and reflected their preferences for the future of their country and themselves,” he said.

He had around 2.6 million more votes than his closest rival Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, leader of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) and the presidential candidate for the Nation Alliance, Erdoğan said.

The People’s Alliance had achieved a majority in parliament and will keep the majority at the parliament commissions as well, and this is an indication that the second round of the presidential elections would favor him, the president said.

“Currently, the majority in the parliament is in the People’s Alliance. Therefore, we have no doubt that the preference of our nation, which gave most of it to the People’s Alliance in the parliament, will be in favor of trust and stability in the presidential election as well,” he said.