Turkey's presidential runoff feed

Duvar English

Turkey has voted in the presidential runoff on the same year with the centennial of the foundation of the republic. 

The voting ended at 5 p.m. local time. The Supreme Election Council (YSK) has lifted the broadcast ban for the election results.

Here are important highlights on what's happening hour by hour after the voting ended.

10.53 p.m.: Far-right Victory Party leader Ümit Özdağ, who endorsed Kılıçdaroğlu's candidacy, deemed Erdoğan's win "Pyrrhic victory."

10.40 p.m.: In his latest statement, YSK Chair Ahmet Yener announced Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as the president according to unofficial results. Erdoğan emerged victorious with 52.14 percent of the votes against Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, as the rate of ballot box openings reached 99.43 percent.

10.05 p.m.: In a series of tweets, jailed former HDP co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş said "Even reaching this rate of votes with a principled and ethical election campaign against a huge operational force that has taken over the state is considered a miracle."

"In fact, it was not an election, but a major operation. The election process was full of inequalities, oppression, incredible lies, slanders. Despite this, the public certainly approved of the change, but the whole process was manipulated.

We are not defeated. Let no one be hopeless because we are not defeated. Never surrender. Keep fighting, keep going, keep going," he said.

10.00 p.m.: In a press statement, Kılıçdaroğlu's ally Good (İYİ) Party leader Meral Akşener said they are going to take lessons from the result, but "Mr. Erdoğan also has great lessons to be learned. I hope that the ambition to win does not blind himself again; slanders, insults do not fly in the air. I hope he will accept that he is the President of every citizen living in this country  and acts accordingly."

09.30 p.m.: The main opposition bloc's presidential candidate Kılıçdaroğlu spoke for the first time and said, "Our march continues; we are here." He stated, "All the means of the state were laid at the feet of one man. I would like to thank the Nation Alliance and all my citizens who fought against this climate of fear without giving in. In this election, the will of the people to change the authoritarian regime has emerged."

08.17 p.m.: In his first speech in Istanbul, President Erdoğan made his supporters boo Kılıçdaroğlu and LGBTI+ community.

Erdoğan first sang a song on top of a bus.

"I would like to thank each and every member of our nation, who once again entrusted us with the responsibility of governing the country for the next five years. We said that this love does not end here, this blessed walk will not be left unfinished. Bye Bye Bye Kemal (Kılıçdaroğlu). I guess CHP will hold him responsible. The winners of both the 14 May elections and the 28 May elections are all our 85 million citizens. We said 'we will win so much that no one will lose'. So today only Turkey is the winner," Erdoğan said.

Erdoğan once again "accused" opposition parties, including the CHP and HDP of being "pro-LGBT" and said "the LGBT cannot sneak into the AKP."

08.05 p.m.: According to the information provided by YSK Chair Ahmet Yener, the total number of ballot boxes opened was 75.42 percent. Accordingly, Erdoğan garnered 53.41 percent of the votes and Kılıçdaroğlu received 46.59 percent.

08.00 p.m.: A dispute broke out in the building in Ankara where overseas votes were counted. Police used pepper spray to break up the fight.

07:36 p.m.: Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban congratulated Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan before the official results are finalized. Orban said "Congratulations to President Erdoğan on his unquestionable election victory! Tebrikler, Sayın Cumhurbaşkanı!"

07.25 p.m.: Chair of the Supreme Election Council (YSK) Ahmet Yener said 54.60% of the votes have been counted in their system. Accordingly, Erdoğan is leading against Kılıçdaroğlu with 54.47% of the votes, he added.

07.55 p.m.: A dispute broke out in the building in Ankara where overseas votes were counted. Police used pepper spray to break up the fight.

07.20 p.m.: In the first statement from the AKP, party spokesperson Ömer Çelik said, "The announced results indicate that the high trust in Mr. President Erdoğan continues strongly." Criticizing the CHP's statement, Çelik said, "In an effort to blur result, we see that they are trying to present their own data as if it is the data of the whole of Turkey."

07.00 p.m.: Making the first statement on behalf of the CHP, party spokesperson Faik Öztrak warned the election observers not to leave the polling stations. He said, "We seem to have the votes of one out of every two people."

06.50 p.m.: Chair of the Supreme Election Council (YSK) Ahmet Yener said, "There has been 25 percent data flow from provinces and districts to the YSK. There is no problem in data flow at the moment."