Ballot boxes to be set up in 73 countries for Türkiye's presidential runoff

By Seda Sevencan

ISTANBUL (AA) – Türkiye will set up ballot boxes in 73 countries for a runoff election to elect the president, authorities said on Tuesday.

As of May 20, ballot boxes will be set up at 167 points by Türkiye's 151 representatives in 73 countries, and voting will take place at the customs gates between May 20 and 28, according to the Turkish Foreign Ministry.

Turks living abroad will be able to learn the date, time and addresses of the polling stations on the Supreme Election Council (YSK) website, ysk.gov.tr.

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

As no presidential candidate managed to secure an outright majority in the polls, Türkiye is set to hold a runoff election on May 28.

According to the head of the Supreme Election Council Ahmet Yener, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the joint candidate for People’s Alliance, led the first round with 49.51% of the vote, while main opposition leader, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who was backed by the six-party Nation’s Alliance, was behind with 44.88%. Sinan Ogan, the third contender, got 5.17%.

Erdogan and Kilicdaroglu will now face off in the round two as no one managed to clear the more than 50% threshold.

Domestic voter turnout in the elections was 88.92%, with turnout abroad being 52.69%.

In the parliamentary elections, the People’s Alliance, led by Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), got 49% of the votes, obtaining over 320 seats in 600-seat parliament.