Millions of Turkish voters went to the polls in the country's most important election in 100 years.
Polling stations opened at 8am on May 14 (12pm on May 14 Hanoi time) and closed at 5pm. According to Turkish election law, reporting on election results will be prohibited until 9pm.
This year's race poses an unprecedented challenge to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as he faces a series of major economic challenges.
Blank ballots at a polling station in Ankara, Turkey. Photo: Reuters
Türkiye has been in the throes of a cost-of-living crisis over the past two years, with the currency plunging and consumer prices soaring, hitting the working class, Mr Erdogan's main support base.
He also faced criticism that the aftermath of the country's devastating earthquake in February was made worse by the government's lax control of construction quality and chaotic rescue efforts.
The earthquake killed more than 51,000 people in Türkiye and neighboring Syria. Thousands of people are still unaccounted for, with unmarked graves scattered across the country’s southeastern countryside.
President Erdogan's main rival is Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who represents an electoral alliance of six opposition parties. This is the first time that Türkiye's opposition has united around a single candidate.
A candidate must win more than 50% of the vote to be elected president. Otherwise, Türkiye will go to the next round of elections on May 28.
President Erdogan (left) and CHP candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu. Photo: CNN
"My vote is for freedom. My vote is for the future of our country and our children. I am full of hope," voter Korhan Futaci, 46, told CNN at a polling station in Istanbul's Beyogly district.
"This is what we have been waiting for for 20 years. The whole system needs to change," said Yeliz Sahin, 46, whose brother and son died in the earthquake earlier this year.
"The future of the country is in our hands, the young people," said 19-year-old Eren Uzmele, as he voted for the first time.
Mr Kilicdaroglu, a 74-year-old former official with a moderate style, has pledged to revive Türkiye's faltering economy and restore its democratic institutions.
Speaking to reporters after voting in Istanbul, President Erdogan said he wanted a "better future for the country and Turkish democracy".
Meanwhile, CHP candidate Kilicdaroglu said he hopes "from now on, spring will come to the country and continue."
People line up to vote at a polling station in Istanbul on May 14. Photo: Reuters
President Erdogan ended his election campaign on the evening of May 13 by praying at Istanbul's largest mosque, Hagia Sophia. With candidate Kilicdaroglu, he visited the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Türkiye and a staunch secularist.
Turkey holds elections every five years. More than 1.8 million voters living abroad cast their ballots on April 17, the country's Daily Sabah newspaper reported midweek. More than 65 million Turkish citizens are eligible to vote in this year's election.
Vu Hoang (According to CNN, Reuters )
Source link
Comment (0)