EU Commission chief hails high turnout in Türkiye elections

By Agnes Szucs

BRUSSELS (AA) – 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.

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

On the presidential ballot, voters chose between incumbent President Recep Tayyip 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.

As of 09:45 a.m. local time (0645GMT), Erdogan had 49.4% of the vote, with Kilicdaroglu just behind at 44.96%, Turkish Supreme Electoral Board head Ahmet Yener announced.

The counting process has not been completed yet.