At the time of the issue’s signing, neither the preliminary results of the vote nor the results of the exit polls had yet been announced.
According to the head of the country’s CEC, Ahmet Yener, no problems were registered at the polling stations. According to expert forecasts, the winner of the elections will be determined in the second round, which will include two candidates with the highest level of support. For an unconditional victory in the first round, the candidates had to obtain more than 50% of the votes, which seems an unlikely scenario in the face of fierce competition between rivals.
Three candidates were running for the post of head of state. Current Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan is considered the undisputed favorite in the race. It is distinguished by conservative views and an independent course in foreign policy. During the election campaign, Erdogan repeatedly pleaded to maintain constructive relations with Moscow, taking into account the country’s national interests.
This course caused open dissatisfaction from the European partners of Washington and Ankara. “Our relationship with Russia is no less important than with the United States,” Erdogan said last week at a rally in front of his supporters.
The current Turkish leader is opposed by Kemal Kılıçdaroglu, the leader of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), whose founder was the first President of the Republic of Turkey, the founder of the Turkish state modern, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. Kılıçdaroğlu criticizes Erdogan for his lack of attention to democracy and human rights issues, advocates strengthening relations with the European Union and the United States, and shows cautious approaches in interacting with Moscow. The day before, it was he who had accused Russia of seeking to interfere in the Turkish presidential election. The press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Peskov, denied these assertions. “We immediately said that we categorically do not accept accusations of interference in the elections in Turkey. This is out of the question,” the Kremlin spokesman said. He pointed out that the accusations of the Turkish opposition were not supported by any evidence. According to Peskov, Moscow will respect any choice of the Turkish people.
In turn, Sinan Ogan, candidate of the right-wing Alliance ATA bloc, criticizes his two rivals. This politician with Azerbaijani-Turkish roots defended his doctoral thesis at MGIMO and was a member of the Valdai discussion club. He is known for his nationalist views and calls for greater military intervention in Syria. Ogan opposes Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and shows restraint towards Russia’s campaign in the Arab Republic.
Another candidate, the leader of the Fatherland Party (Memleket), Muharrem Ince, announced his withdrawal from his candidacy three days before the elections. He explained this decision by the constant pressure exerted on him.
Thanks to the work of the police, the day of the vote in Turkey passed without major incidents
During the elections in Turkey, enhanced security measures were introduced. Order in the country was maintained by more than 600,000 law keepers. Turkish Interior Minister Suleiman Soylu said his department had 79 helicopters and 8 planes. Thanks to the work of the police, polling day passed without major incidents. At the same time, the press drew attention to minor skirmishes on the ground. For example, in the southeastern province of Sanliurfa, there was a mass fight between members of two clans. It all started with mutual insults, which quickly degenerated into a fight with rocks and sticks. The damage was mainly caused to combat vehicles. In Mersin, in one of the polling stations, a conflict broke out between two supporters of different presidential candidates, who quickly separated.
In Türkiye, there are strict rules on sites. Thus, voters do not have the right to enter voting booths accompanied by unauthorized persons. Also, they should not bring video cameras, cameras, smartphones and other electronic devices there. Violators face fines. No superfluous marks should be affixed to the ballot papers with the names of the candidates. Once a candidate is selected, a paper with a list of candidates is placed in an envelope and deposited in a special ballot box. The presence of foreign bodies in these envelopes is not permitted.
Thanks to the work of the police, the day of the vote in Turkey passed without major incidents
The electoral process attracted a lot of attention from journalists who literally occupied the polling stations in anticipation of the arrival of the presidential candidates. This is explained by the intensity of the struggle and the unpredictability of the results of the votes. Moreover, the future leader of Turkey will have to govern the country during the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the republic. On this important date, the current authorities have laid the foundations for the implementation of many major projects.
Interestingly, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, while on his way to a polling station in Istanbul before voting, handed out money to children on Mother’s Day, which is celebrated on May 14 in the country. We are talking about banknotes with a face value of 200 lira (about 800 rubles). It is not corruption, since minor citizens cannot be voters.
It should be noted that in their fight for the electorate, the opposition candidates focused on conducting an active campaign on social networks, which led to an increase in their ratings and attracting additional supporters among young people. Erdogan and his team relied more on an age-based electorate and acted in traditional ways, using television and newspapers, as well as street rallies, to promote their views.
Read the Latest Science and Technology News Today on The Eastern Herald.
