Voters cast their ballots for presidential and parliamentary elections at a polling station in Istanbul, Türkiye on May 14, 2023. (PHOTO / AFP)
ANKARA – Turkish citizens headed to the polls on Sunday for twin presidential and parliamentary elections that could shape the Turkish political landscape for the upcoming years.
The polls opened at 8 am (0500 GMT) and will close at 5 pm (1400 GMT) local time. Unofficial results are expected after 9 pm (1800 GMT) local time.
Some 61 million voters are registered to cast their ballots. Around 3.5 million voters living abroad have been called to cast their votes in advance
Some 61 million voters are registered to cast their ballots. Around 3.5 million voters living abroad have been called to cast their votes in advance. More than 1.76 million Turks abroad have cast their votes at diplomatic missions and customs gates between April 27 and May 9.
The polls could stretch incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's tenure into a third decade or could set Türkiye on a new course.
According to pollsters, Erdogan, 69, is facing his toughest test yet during his 20-year rule. Erdogan, founder and leader of the conservative Justice and Development Party (AKP), has been leading the country since he became prime minister in 2003.
There are three presidential candidates, however. Erdogan's chief opponent is Kemal Kilicdaroglu, 74, the leader of the center-left Republican People's Party (CHP), who might have a chance of winning for the first time as he is backed by a bloc of opposition parties, according to surveys. The third candidate Sinan Ogan is appealing for nationalist votes. A fourth presidential contender, Muharrem Ince, withdrew from the race on Thursday.
If no presidential candidate wins over 50 percent of the vote on Sunday, there will be a runoff vote on May 28.
The elevated cost of living, high inflation, and reconstruction following the devastating earthquakes in early February are high on voters' agenda, as the country's economy has fallen into a recession over the past two years.
"We are here to vote for the future of our nation, we want a prosperous and modern Türkiye," Metin Sermen, a private company worker told Xinhua in a polling station, located in a middle school as most of them are, in Ankara's Yildizevler neighborhood.
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"Inflation and the loss of our purchasing power is one of the most important issues. I will vote accordingly," said Meysa Seckin, a mother of two.
Seckin said that it will be difficult for any candidate to dispel economic woes in a short time, adding that "nevertheless, the candidate who wins should first focus on the problems of cash-strapped households."
Meanwhile, a total of 24 political parties and 151 independent candidates are competing for seats in the 600-member Turkish parliament. Parties must obtain no less than 7 percent of the national vote, either on their own or in alliance with other parties, to enter parliament.