EU Commission chief hails high turnout in Türkiye elections

EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen on Monday hailed the high turnout in Türkiye's general and presidential elections.

"I think the massive turnout in these elections is really good news," von der Leyen told reporters at a news conference.

The EU Commission president commended the Turkish citizens for going to vote and showing that they "value the democratic institutions."

She described the high participation rate as "a big, big win" because it is a "very clear sign that the Turkish people are committed to exercising their democratic rights."

The EU is "following very closely" the announcement of the official results from Sunday's vote and the upcoming second round of presidential elections, she added.

- GERMANY WELCOMES STRONG TURNOUT

The German government also welcomed the strong turnout in Türkiye's elections, stressing that it affirms great importance attached to democratic standards.

"The high turnout has demonstrated that the Turkish citizens attach great importance to democratic standards and make use of them," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Andrea Sasse said at a news conference in Berlin.

Millions of voters went to the polls Sunday to elect the country's next president and the members of its 600-seat parliament.

Voter turnout was 88.92%, according to the Supreme Election Council.

On the presidential ballot, voters chose between incumbent President Erdogan representing the People's Alliance, Kemal Kilicdaroglu of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) and joint candidate for the six-party opposition Nation Alliance, and Sinan Ogan of the ATA (Ancestral) Alliance.

Erdogan finished the first round with 49.51% of the vote, with Kilicdaroglu second at 44.88%, said Ahmet Yener, head of the Supreme Election Council, citing unofficial results.

Türkiye will hold a second-round runoff on May 28 to elect the president after no candidate won an outright majority in Sunday's poll, Yener announced on Monday.

The first round of voting ended with no candidate able to clear the required 50% threshold, but incumbent President Erdogan took the lead, he added.