The current president of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is leading in the presidential elections in that country, but, according to current preliminary data, he won less than 50 percent of voter support.
Turkish Radio and Television (TRT) announced that Erdogan, according to 96,15 percent of the counted ballots, won 49,44 percent of the votes, and that opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu won 44,86 percent of voter support.
According to these data, Erdogan won more than 26 million votes, and Kilicdaroglu more than 23,6 million.
The election would go to a second round if no candidate has more than 50 percent of the vote.
The TRT website states that the turnout in the elections was 88,36 percent, that is, more than 51,4 million voters voted.
Kilicdaroglu claimed earlier this evening that he was in the lead and wrote on Twitter in a short post: "We are leading".
Turkey's Supreme Electoral Council lifted the ban on reporting election results, which was initially in effect until 21 p.m. local time.
Polling stations across Turkey closed at 17 p.m. local time, or 16 p.m. CET.
Erdogan addressed his supporters on Twitter after voting in the election ended.
"The voting process has been completed throughout the country in a manner befitting our democracy. Now, as always, is the time to firmly protect the ballot boxes. Until the results are finalized, we will continue to protect the will of our people," he said.
His main opponent, Kilicdaroglu, also told his supporters not to leave ballot boxes unattended, "not even for a moment, no matter what."
"I want to call on our heroes of democracy. Never leave the ballot boxes until the final signed ballot box report is submitted," he tweeted.
The citizens of Turkey voted today in the presidential and parliamentary elections, and they chose between three presidential candidates, and 24 political parties and 151 independent candidates for the parliament, which has a total of 600 seats.
64,11 million people had the right to vote in the elections, and more than 4,9 million Turkish citizens voted for the first time.
Current President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Kemal Kilicdaroglu and Sinan Ogan, according to the order on the ballot, are candidates for the presidency of Turkey.
Polling stations were previously open outside Turkey, in 75 states and 156 representative offices of that country.
Voting at border crossings began on April 27, and in diplomatic missions on May 5, and lasted until May 9, according to the previously established schedule.
More than 3,41 million citizens are registered to vote from abroad.
As announced by the High Electoral Commission, the incomplete and unofficial results will be published on the same day, in the first hours after the closing of the polls.
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