Turkey's opposition contests thousands of ballots after presidential election

Long-time leader Erdogan to take on Kilicdaroglu again after neither secured 50 per cent of votes in first round

Turkey's main opposition party has filed complaints over alleged irregularities at thousands of ballot boxes in Sunday's elections, it said on Wednesday.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan – who performed better than was expected in the elections – is urging voters to support him in a presidential election run-off on May 28 to maintain stability in the country, as he tries to extend his rule into a third decade.

With 49.5 per cent of the vote on Sunday, he fell just short of the required majority to win the election in the first round and avoid a run-off.

His main opponent, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who is backed by a six-party opposition alliance and leads the Republican People's Party (CHP), received 45 per cent.

The CHP claimed on Wednesday that it had established that there were irregularities at 2,269 ballot boxes for the presidential election and at 4,825 boxes for the parliamentary election. Muharrem Erkek, a CHP deputy chairman, said the irregularities at each ballot box ranged from a single wrong vote to hundreds of votes.

“We are following every single vote, even if it does not change the overall results,” he said in Ankara. There were 201,807 ballot boxes set up for the election, domestically and abroad, he said.

Turkish financial assets weakened for a second day, particularly government and corporate bonds and banking stocks, as investors bet that Mr Erdogan, 69, would win another five-year term and continue with his unorthodox economic policies.

In a parliamentary election, also on Sunday, the People's Alliance, comprising Mr Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP) and its partners, won 322 of 600 seats in the new legislature, achieving a majority.

He says that voting for him will ensure stability and that Turkey needs harmony between parliament and presidency for functional governance.

“The strong presence of the People's Alliance in parliament also makes us stronger as the government. The harmony between the executive and the legislature would help development of our country,” he told CNN Turk.

A breakdown of the voting tallies showed the AKP came out on top, even in 10 of the 11 provinces hit by February's devastating earthquakes in Turkey, in which more than 50,000 people were killed and millions left homeless.

Mr Kilicdaroglu has sought to put a positive spin on the outcome.

“A message of change emerged from the ballot box. Those who want change in this country are now more than those that don't want it,” Mr Kilicdaroglu said, referring to Mr Erdogan falling short of 50 per cent, in a series of tweets addressed to “dear young people”.

Mr Kilicdaroglu, 74, appealed to young voters with references to the cost-of-living crisis, which in Turkey has been much exacerbated by Mr Erdogan's insistence on cutting interest rates, causing a sharp slide in the lira and soaring inflation.

“You don't have enough money for anything,” he said. “Your joy of life was taken away … you won't get your youth back again. We have 12 days to get out of this dark tunnel.”

Mr Kilicdaroglu has vowed to revive democracy after years of state repression, return to conventional economic policies, empower institutions that lost autonomy under Mr Erdogan and rebuild frayed ties with the West.

People walk under posters showing Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of modern Turkey, in Ankara. The country is holding its first presidential run-off election after neither candidate earned more than 50 per cent of the vote in the May 14 election. Getty

A couple walk under a poster of Turkish presidential candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the opposition Republican People's Party, the day after the general election, in Ankara. EPA

People sit on a bench by posters showing Mr Kilicdaroglu in Ankara. Getty

The bustling Taksim area of Istanbul. Turkey will hold its first presidential run-off election after neither candidate earned more than 50 per cent of the vote this week. Getty

People eat ice cream in Istanbul as the country prepares for an election run-off later this month. Getty

People stand in front of the Guven Monument in Ankara. Getty

The second round of voting will be held on May 28. Getty

A passenger reads a newspaper on a ferry across the Bosphorus in Istanbul. Bloomberg

Politics dominates the headlines in Istanbul on the day after the presidential elections. AP

A billboard featuring presidential candidate Mr Kilicdaroglu in Istanbul. AP

A run-off for the presidency was expected to lead to volatility for the Turkish lira. AP

Supporters of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gather at the AK Party's headquarters in Istanbul on election night. Getty

Mr Erdogan, accompanied by his wife Emine, addresses supporters in Ankara. Photo: Turkish Presidential Press Office

Election officials count ballots in Diyarbakir after polls closed in Turkey's presidential and parliamentary elections. AFP

Turkish presidential candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the opposition Republican People's Party, speaks to the media in Ankara. EPA

Mr Erdogan's supporters wave flags outside the AK Party's headquarters in Ankara. Reuters

Mr Erdogan casts his vote in Istanbul on Sunday. Getty

Mr Kilicdaroglu votes in Ankara. Getty

People wait for Mr Erdogan outside a polling station in Istanbul. Reuters

A man holds a ballot at a polling station in Hatay. Reuters

A ballot paper featuring candidates for Turkey's presidential and parliamentary elections. Reuters

Voting began in Turkey's presidential election on Sunday morning. Reuters

A voter casts a ballot at a polling station in Hatay. Reuters

Hatay is one of the Turkish regions that were worst-affected by February's earthquake. Reuters

Voters take a closer look at the candidates on the ballot, in Ankara. Getty

A ballot paper with Mr Erdogan, Muharrem Ince, Mr Kilicdaroglu and Sinan Ogan. Getty

Voters queue outside a polling station in Istanbul. Reuters

Bags containing blank ballots are stored at a temporary polling station in the courtyard of a quake-damaged school in Hatay. Reuters

An election worker prepares a temporary polling station in Hatay. Reuters

In Sunday's presidential vote, nationalist candidate Sinan Ogan came third with 5.2 per cent support. Eyes are now on how his supporters will vote on May 28.

In a possible boost to Mr Erdogan, Mr Ogan told Reuters on Monday that he would endorse Mr Kilicdaroglu in the run-off only if the latter ruled out any concessions to a pro-Kurdish party.

Separately, Mr Ogan told AFP he was open to dialogue but may take a few days to make up his mind about who – if anyone – to endorse.

“A decision will be made after talks with Mr Erdogan and Mr Kilicdaroglu,” he said.

“We may say we don't support either of them.”