Turkey elections live: Lira tumbles as runoff confirmed

Schools, where voters have been casting their ballots, were noticeably more crowded by midday in Turkey than in previous elections, MEE correspondent Yusuf Selman Inanc reported. 

Experts predict that this election will see one of the highest voter turnouts in Turkey's history.

One school in Istanbul's Fatih district already had 200 people out of 364 registered voters cast their ballot by 1pm local time, an election officer told MEE. 

The crowds in Fatih district, a stronghold of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), were distinctly supportive of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.  

"We can't give up Erdogan," said Busra Yavuz.

"We don't believe the [opposition Republican People's Party, or CHP] can help the country flourish. It is Erdogan who will overcome all problems if there are any," she told MEE.

Another Erdogan supporter, Yakup Kizil, said the incumbent president "has to remain in power".

"If Turkey wants to continue challenging the dominance of the West, terrorism and its supporters, Erdogan must win," Kizil told MEE.

"Otherwise, these people [the opposition National Alliance, which includes the CHP] will cause the loss of Turkey's gains in the fields of international relations, economy, technology and others."

In Maltepe district, a CHP stronghold, the atmosphere was starkly different. 

"Today, we are marking the start of the spring," said Ayhan Isil, a retired teacher, referring to the CHP's main campaign slogan: "Springs will flourish". 

"We are fed up with the current government," Isil told MEE.  

"They have dragged the country out of its path, created by [Mustafa Kemal] Ataturk."

Murat Pinar, another voter in the same constituency, shared a similar view. 

"The government must go. Otherwise, we will not survive economically," he said. 

Polls show that Erdogan and CHP leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu are in a neck-and-neck race, with the possibility of run-off very high. 

Early observations indicate a very high voter turnout across Turkey.

Large cities like Istanbul are witnessing long queues of voters waiting to cast their ballot, MEE's Turkey bureau chief Ragip Soylu reports. 

Turkey's Kurdish-majority provinces might play an essential role in the election's outcome. 

In Diyarbakir, which is at the heart of the Kurdish voter base, an MEE correspondent said the turnout rate this morning has been very high.

Around 1.1 million registered voters live in the southeastern city. 

The increasing nationalist discourse by the current government, along with economic setbacks, have considerably reduced support for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan there.

Meanwhile, the popularity of Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the main opposition candidate and chair of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), increased - which will likely be reflected in the ballot box.

"I abandoned the party I voted for years," Ayse Turan, a private sector employee, told MEE after she cast her ballot in Diyarbakir. 

"The important thing for us is that no one steals or seizes any of our rights any more," she added, without saying who she voted for.

For many years, the Kurdish votes in southeast Turkey were divided between the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democracy Party (HDP) and Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP). 

However, the CHP, which wants to take advantage of the excitement that Kilicdaroglu has created among Kurdish voters in his campaign, wants to be in the equation in this election. 

In Diyarbakir, the HDP won nine deputies in the 2018 general elections while the AKP held three seats. 

One of the early morning voters, Mustafa Arslan, said he voted for Kilicdaroglu. 

At first, the 41-year-old was undecided while heading to the polling station. When he entered the voting booth, he found himself choosing Kilicdaroglu.

"I decided at the last moment," he told MEE. "The reason was that I didn't want Erdogan any more. He has been in power for 20 years.

"This time I gave my vote to Kilicdaroglu for a change."

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: 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan cast his vote in Istanbul as the country awaits to learn if his 21-year-long rule will extend for another five years. 

He is in a neck-and-neck race with opposition candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu.

"The voting is underway, and Inshallah [God willing] it will be a calm day for the good of Turkish democracy," he said after casting his ballot. 

"The most important thing was that people in the earthquake zones were able to cast their votes," he added.

"We pray for a fruitful future for Turkish democracy. Turning up for voting is important to show the strength of Turkish democracy."

Presidential candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the main rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, cast his vote in Ankara. 

He then made an appearance before the cameras, sending his regards to citizens who are voting today.

“All of us missed democracy, we missed being all together,” he said. 

“You will see, Inshallah [God willing], the springs will come to this country, and the spring will always continue.” 

Kilicdaroglu’s main campaign slogan was: “I promise, the springs will come.”

Ali Babacan, opposition leader and chairman of the Democracy and Progress Party (Deva), posted a photo of himself casting his vote this morning with the caption: "Good luck for our country."

Babacan, a member of the Table of Six opposition alliance which aims to oust Recep Tayyip Erdogan from power, was a former ally of the president.

He quit the ruling AK Party in 2019 over differences about its direction and formed the Deva (Remedy) Party. He was also in charge of the economy under Erdogan and was well regarded by foreign investors at the time.

What's at stake in Turkey's elections? Who are the main candidates? What are the main issues? 

All your questions about Turkey's knife-edge elections answers in the video below: 

Turkish voters have started to line up in large numbers outside schools and other public buildings to cast their votes in the early hours on Sunday after weeks of fierce campaigning.

In Ankara’s Cankaya neighbourhood, a main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) stronghold, there were stands outside the school offering free tea and Simit, a popular bagel-like Turkish bread.

As Middle East Eye's Turkey bureau chief Ragip Soylu walked inside the building, he bumped into a senior official of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s administration.

He said he just travelled to Ankara to vote and was preparing to return to Istanbul to be with the president. 

Erdogan, following his tradition, is voting in Istanbul and then will follow the results for his residence in the Uskudar district. 

Both Erdogan and his main rival Kemal Kilicdaroglu of the CHP completed their election campaigns in symbolic ways, underlining the historic fault lines that exist in Turkey.

Kilicdaroglu visited Mustafa Kemal Ataturk's mausoleum in the capital, offering his respects to the founder of the modern Republic of Turkey and the symbol of secularism in Turkey. 

Erdogan on the other hand visited religious cleric Hasan Kilinc in Istambul's historic Fatih district before joining the evening prayer at Hagia Sophia, a symbol of Turkey's Islam-inspired political past. 

Erdogan reconverted the ancient temple into a mosque in 2020, overturning Ataturk's decision to make it a museum during his rule.

The president then recited verses from the Holy Quran and gave a speech on the unity needed for the Muslims.

Both leaders campaigned all over the country for weeks, holding more than 40 rallies. 

But the twin earthquakes in February, which killed more than 50,000 people, and the observation of the holy month of Ramadan shortly after led to a largely calm campaign period until the last two weeks.

Public polls indicate the race is neck and neck between the two, and a run-off is likely.

Kilicdaroglu maintained his popularity for the last two weeks, but Erdogan managed to rally his base as well in recent days.

A broadcast ban on the election results is expected to be lifted around 7.30-8pm local time. 

Good morning MEE readers,

Millions of people in Turkey have begun voting in one of the most crucial elections in recent years, which has pitted President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a tight race against the opposition’s joint presidential candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu.

Around 64 million are registered to vote with a high voter turnout of up to 85 percent expected.

Voters will decide om who will be their president for the next five years, and also selecting their 600-members parliament.

Three candidates are running for this year’s presidential election. Besides Erdogan of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) party and Kilicdaroglu of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), there is Sinan Ogan of the far right Ancestral Alliance. 

Polls have predicted a tight race between Erdogan and Kilicdaroglu who need more than 50 percent of the vote to win. If neither candidate wins an outright majority, a run-off on 28 May between the two candidates with the most votes will be held.

More than 30 political parties and over 150 independent candidates will compete in the parliamentary elections.

There are five multiparty blocs in the running: the People's Alliance, Nation Alliance, Ancestral Alliance, Labor and Freedom Alliance, and Union of Socialist Forces Alliance.

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