With Turkey election going to a runoff, what’s next?

Supporters of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan celebrate in Istanbul. Pic/AP

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan received the most votes in a weekend presidential election but could not claim victory because he failed to get the majority support required for a win. Preliminary results showed Erdogan had 49.5 per cent of the vote. His main challenger, opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu, garnered 45 per cent, according to Turkish election authorities. A third candidate, nationalist politician Sinan Ogan, received 5.2 per cent.

The election is being followed internationally to see the future direction of Turkey. The strategically located NATO member has cultivated warm relations with Russia, become less secular and tilted toward authoritarianism under Erdogan. The Supreme Electoral board said the results mean Erdogan, 69, and Kilicdaroglu, 74, will compete in a runoff election on May 28.

Also Read: Turkey's elections for presidency, parliament underway

Erdogan, who has strengthened his grip on NATO member Turkey since coming to power in 2003, changed the country's system of government from a parliamentary democracy to an executive presidency through a 2017 referendum. The change, which took effect after the 2018 elections, abolished the office of the prime minister and concentrated broad powers in the president's hands. It was therefore decided that the head of both state and government needed to receive more than 50% of the vote to secure office in a single election.

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