Turkey elections live: Erdogan celebrates victory in Istanbul

Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged people to turn up and vote after he cast his ballot in Istanbul. 

The president, vying for his third term in office, hailed the "strength" of Turkish democracy as shown by the high 87 percent voter turnout in the first round. 

“This is an important day for the Turkish democracy," he said. 

"No one should be overcome by languor, everyone should go and vote."

Barring a major upset, Erdogan looks likely to win the election and extend his 21-year in power for another five-year term.

Opposition candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu cast his vote in the capital, Ankara, alongside his wife, Selvi Kilicdaroglu.

After voting, he said that despite a "rough" election he is hopeful. 

"I invite all my citizens to cast their votes to get rid of an authoritarian government," he told reporters.

"I trust our nation's common sense and the democracy will definitely come to this country. I believe that everyone will be with peace of mind in the streets of this country and be able to freely critique the politicians after today's election."

Analysts expected Kilicdaroglu, the leader of the Republican People's Party (CHP), to win the presidency in the first round of voting, but he underperformed opinion poll projections and came second with 44.9 perent of the vote. 

A significant 2.5 million-vote margin separated him from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who secured 49.5 percent.

The results are likely to come sooner on Sunday than they did in the first round two weeks ago, according to the chairman of the Supreme Election Board. 

Ahmet Yener said in a televised statement that counting took longer on 14 May because the ballot included 24 political parties running for parliament and four candidates running for president.

With only two people in the ballot box this time around, voting and counting are both expected to take less time. 

“Since only presidential candidates are competing in this election, we think  the results will come in sooner,” he said, adding that voting is proceeding without any problems. 

A broadcast ban on announcing results is likely to be lifted around 6:30pm local time (15:30 GMT).

Millions of Turkish voters began flocking to polling stations across the country as incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdogan set out to secure a third presidential term in a fierce race against opposition candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu.

Reporting from the capital Ankara, Middle East Eye's Turkey bureau chief Ragip Soylu said schools and other public buildings saw an influx of people arriving to cast their ballots in the highly contested election. 

While a high voter turnout is expected, polling stations seemed calm and orderly in the early hours of the morning.  

Notably, the run-off campaign witnessed significantly less polarisation and contention compared with earlier stages, as both candidates refrained from holding large rallies. Instead, they opted for intimate gatherings, hall meetings and strategic television appearances.

Kilicdaroglu’s initial silence, which lasted four days following the setback in the first round, dealt a demoralising blow to his supporters. 

Subsequently, he took action by dismissing his campaign team and adopting a Turkish nationalist stance with an anti-refugee sentiment based on fear of the future. Posters demanding the expulsion of Syrians adorned overpasses and roadside kiosks.

Erdogan persisted in his criticism of the opposition, accusing them of aligning with “terrorist groups”, albeit in a less outspoken and indignant manner, as part of his calculated campaign strategy.

Interestingly, both candidates sought to forge alliances with anti-refugee Turkish politicians. Erdogan secured the support of the third-place presidential candidate, Sinan Ogan, an ultranationalist who garnered 5.17 percent of the vote in the initial round.

Kilicdaroglu struck a deal with ultranationalist Umit Ozdag, a key ally of Ogan, to mobilise support for his campaign. Ozdag articulated specific demands regarding the handling of refugees, including their expulsion from the country within a year. 

However, his insistence on appointing trustees to municipalities associated with alleged terrorist activities unsettled supporters of the pro-Kurdish People’s Democracy Party (HDP). 

While the HDP announced its support for Kilicdaroglu, the impact on voter turnout in the predominantly Kurdish provinces remains uncertain.

Lastly, maintaining high levels of voter engagement will be crucial for both candidates. With a significant 2.5 million-vote margin separating them, each contender is banking on their respective high turnout rates. 

Kilicdaroglu endeavoured to mobilise young voters through a captivating appearance on the popular YouTube channel Babala, while Erdogan leveraged his well-organised party grassroots and newly elected MPs while dominating traditional media appearances to achieve a similar goal.

The elections are expected to see a high voter turnout, despite February's deadly earthquakes, which have displaced millions of people. 

The choices of nearly five million first-time voters could be significant in the outcome.

Here, MEE breaks down the Turkish elections in numbers: 

Good morning MEE readers,

Millions of people have begun voting in Turkey's presidential run-off that could see incumbent Recep Tayyip Erdogan overcome his main challenger, Kemal Kilicdaroglu.

More than 60 million are expected to vote, with a high voter turnout of up to 85 percent expected.

Sunday's voting will begin at 8am local time (05:00 GMT) and end at 5pm (14:00 GMT).

By late Sunday there should be a clear indication of the winner.

Follow our live blog coverage for updates throughout the day, and stay up to date with the latest news on our social media channels on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok.