May 28 presidential runoff in Türkiye ‘democratic and transparent' - observers

Observers of the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic States (TURKPA) said Türkiye's presidential runoff was held democratically and transparently.

Ehliman Emiraslanov, the head of the mission and also an Azerbaijani deputy, said they received detailed information from the Supreme Election Board and shared the preliminary evaluation report during a news conference in Ankara.

"The election was held in a transparent and democratic environment with high participation," said Emiraslanov, adding that the voting process was "positive, orderly, and transparent."

The preparations for the runoff election were carried out "efficiently and professionally," he added.

Praising the efforts of the election administration units for disabled voters, he said the polling centers were "barrier-free."

In its report, TURKPA said the election was held in line with the national legislation and international election standards.

The mission carried out its activities in the capital Ankara and the central Konya province of Türkiye.

According to unofficial results, incumbent President Erdoğan won the race with 52.16%, while opposition candidate Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu received 47.84% of the vote.

More than 64.1 million Turkish citizens were registered to vote, including over 1.92 million who earlier cast their ballots at overseas polling stations. The voter turnout was around 85% in Sunday's election.

On May 14, no candidate crossed the 50% threshold in the first round, triggering the presidential runoff, although Erdogan took the lead with 49.52%. On the same day, Erdoğan's electoral alliance also won a majority of seats in parliament.