Polls have now closed and votes are being counted after millions cast their ballots for Türkiye’s momentous elections on Sunday.
Polls closed at 5 p.m. (1400 GMT) local time and a ban for broadcasting unofficial election results was lifted as of 6:30 p.m. (1530 GMT) local time, Supreme Election Council Chairman Ahmet Yener said.
The voting process was calm and orderly without major disruptions reported, he said.
Sunday’s presidential and parliamentary elections are one of the most consequential events that could either stretch incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s tenure into a third term or set Türkiye on a new course.
Surveys show that Erdogan and Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the leader of the center-left Republican People’s Party (CHP) and presidential nominee of the opposition bloc are in a neck-and-neck race.
The voter turnout was noticeably high as electorates formed long queues in polling stations across the country.
International observers were deployed across the country, including the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe mission.
Some 61 million voters are registered to cast their ballots. Ahead of the elections, more than 1.76 million Turks abroad have cast their votes at diplomatic missions and customs gates between April 27 and May 9. ■
