By Ben Kerrigan-
Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, will go head to head with his opposition rival in a run-off vote, the supreme election council has confirmed.
Mr Erdogan led the first round with 49.51% of the vote, its chairman said.
Although he had a clear lead over his main challenger Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who polled 44.88%, he needed more than half the vote to win the race outright.
A second round will go ahead on 28 May, with Mr Erdogan the clear favourite.
Shortly before the announcement by election council leader Ahmet Yener, the president’s rival appealed to supporters not to “fall into despair” and to stand and take on the election together.
Turkey’s political landscape is set to witness a significant turning point as the country heads towards a decisive run-off vote to determine its next president.
With the eyes of the nation and the international community fixed on the outcome, the run-off vote represents a critical juncture that will shape Turkey’s political future. This article delves into the intricacies of the Turkish presidential race, the significance of the run-off vote, and the role of the Supreme Council in this crucial process.
The Run-Off Vote
In Turkey, to win the presidency, a candidate must secure an absolute majority of the votes in the first round. If no candidate achieves this, a run-off vote is held between the two leading candidates from the initial round. The run-off vote presents a second chance for the contenders, as the electorate narrows down its options to decide who will ultimately hold the highest office in the country.
Supreme Council and its Role
The Supreme Council holds a pivotal role in Turkey’s electoral process. It oversees the conduct of elections, ensuring transparency, fairness, and adherence to the established rules and regulations. Composed of reputable jurists and legal experts, the Supreme Council acts as an independent body that safeguards the integrity of the electoral process and ensures that the will of the people is accurately represented.
Decision-Making by the Supreme Council:
In the run-off vote, the Supreme Council’s responsibility is to certify the results and declare the winner based on the electoral outcome. The Council meticulously reviews the vote count, analyses any contested or disputed ballots, and examines the compliance of the process with established electoral laws. Their decision plays a critical role in determining the future of the nation, as the declared winner will assume the presidency and shape the course of Turkey’s political direction.
Implications
The run-off vote decided by the Supreme Council carries immense significance for Turkey. The outcome will have far-reaching implications on various fronts, including domestic policies, foreign relations, and the economy. The elected president’s tenure will shape the country’s stance on critical issues, such as human rights, democratic values, regional dynamics, and international cooperation. Moreover, the electoral process itself will be closely scrutinized, as the transparency and fairness of the run-off vote will have a lasting impact on public trust and confidence in Turkey’s democratic institutions.
As Turkey braces itself for the run-off vote to determine its next president, the role of the Supreme Council in certifying the results becomes paramount. The electoral process serves as a test of the nation’s democratic maturity and its commitment to upholding the rule of law. With the eyes of the world fixed upon Turkey, the decision made by the Supreme Council will be crucial in determining the country’s political trajectory and its place on the global stage.
.Although the third candidate, ultranationalist Sinan Ogan, polled 5.17% it seemed unlikely that all his voters would switch to the centre-left-led opposition.
Mr Erdogan has been in power in Turkey for more than 20 years, first as prime minister and then as president, extending his powers still further after a failed coup in 2016.
Many opinion polls had suggested his rival was on course to win the first round, and Erdogan supporters celebrated outside party headquarters in Ankara long into the night.
Addressing them from the balcony, he told them he had won 2.6 million more votes than his chief rival.
With Mr Kilicdaroglu as candidate, the opposition was seen as having its best chance so far at removing him from power. It drew together a broad-based alliance of parties and offered an end to soaring inflation and Mr Erdogan’s system of an all-powerful presidency.
The initial confidence in victory turned to disappointment and the opposition leader did his best to rally supporters by declaring “we will absolutely win in the second round”.
Mr Yener said all of the ballot boxes from Sunday’s vote had been opened and turnout in Turkey was 88.92%. However, it was clear that a number of votes cast abroad had not yet been counted.
The international monitoring group OSCE highlighted several flaws in the election, pointing out that Mr Erdogan and the ruling parties had enjoyed “an unjustified advantage”.
Although the monitors praised the high turnout and political choice, they said the vote had been limited by an unlevel playing field, singling out “biased media coverage”, as well as intimidation of the pro-Kurdish party and the jailing of its former joint leader and that of philanthropist Osman Kavala.
Kvala was sentenced to prison in 2022 without the possibility of parole on highly controversial charges of attempting to overthrow the government.
The panel of three judges also sentenced on Monday seven other defendants to 18 years in jail each on charges of aiding the attempt to topple the government, ordering the immediate arrest of Mucella Yapici, Cigdem Mater, Hakan Altinay, Mine Ozerden, Can Atalay, Yigit Ali Ekmekci and Tayfun Kahraman.
Another issue they highlighted was the limited help given to survivors of February’s earthquakes to take part in the election, leading to wide criticism against Erdogan for the state’s slow response to the disaster, which left more than 50,000 people dead.