WATCH: Turkey’s President Erdogan Says Ready for Election Runoff

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday claimed a “clear lead” over his rival as votes were still being counted, but said he was ready for a runoff election if needed.

“We don’t know yet whether the election will be over in the first round, but if people take us to a second round, we will respect that too,” Erdogan told his supporters, adding that his ruling conservative alliance had won a “majority” in parliament.

Erdogan’s remarks came as Turkey’s Supreme Election Council chairman Ahmet Yener stated that over 91.93% of the votes have been tallied, BBC reported.

Preliminary figures show Erdogan leading with 49.49% of the vote, followed by opposition figure Kemal Kilicdaroglu at 44.79%.

Regarding a potential second round, Yener explained that the counting process is still ongoing and no official decision has been made yet.

With these figures, the likelihood of a run-off election has significantly increased, considering that many remaining votes come from opposition strongholds. Additionally, Erdogan’s party has requested recounts for numerous ballot boxes.

While Kilicdaroglu’s numbers are rising, they remain several points behind Erdogan’s.

Opposition leaders accused the government of intentionally slowing down the vote count in districts where Kilicdaroglu enjoyed strong support.

Istanbul’s Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu revealed that the opposition’s internal tally indicated Kilicdaroglu had secured 49% of the vote, while Erdogan had 45%.

However, both the official state media count and the opposition’s count leave open the possibility of another presidential vote on May 28. The election has become a referendum on Turkey’s long-serving leader and his party, with a turnout expected to reach 90%.

Kilicdaroglu’s emergence, along with his six-party opposition alliance, presents a clear alternative to foreign allies and Turkish voters. A potential runoff in two weeks could provide Erdogan an opportunity to regroup and reshape the debate.

Nonetheless, he would still face challenges from Turkey’s severe economic crisis and criticism of his government’s response to the February earthquake.

In a run-up to the elections, Kilicdaroglu has emphasized the desire for democracy and expressed hope for a brighter future for the country.

Pre-election polls indicated that Kilicdaroglu was likely to win the youth vote by a significant margin.

Some voters expressed discontent over Erdogan’s focus on military development rather than addressing economic issues affecting their daily lives.

(With AFP inputs)