Turkish elections - results and reaction

11.59 P.M. 

That's all from Rudaw English tonight. Tune in tomorrow for full results and analysis! 

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11.57 P.M. 

Turkish diaspora in Iraq, Finland, and Japan vote for Selahattin Demirtas.

Graphic: AA

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11.14 P.M.

HDP betters its 2015 performance

The People's Democratic Party (HDP) has already surpassed its performance in the 2015 election, securing 66 seats - up from 59 in the previous parliament.

Meanwhile, Erdogan's ruling AKP has so far secured 293 seats - down from the 317 it held in the previous parliament. 

But combined with its MHP allies, the AKP can call upon the support of 342 MPs. 

Graphic: AA

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10.55 P.M.

HDP: 'It is not time to celebrate' 

Both the HDP and IYI parties have tweeted warnings that the Turkish election outcome is not yet official. 

Turkey's election body, the YSK, has only counted 56 percent of votes, meaning the true result could be very different. 

Nevertheless, young HDP supporters have been celebrating the party's performance outside its Istanbul headquarters.

Parti binası önünde toplanan kitlemiz, tüm baskılara rağmen Umudun yanında... pic.twitter.com/SsKhxnrtFQ

— HDP İstanbul (@HDPistanbul) June 24, 2018

10.40 P.M. 

Erdogan declares victory in Turkish election

In a victory speech, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the Turkish people have chosen him and that his alliance with the MHP has gained the majority in parliament.

“Turkey has given all the world the democracy lesson with nearly 80 percent turnout,” he said. 

“Today is the time for us to work harder through the presidency and parliament.” 

His government will now fight terrorism in a “stronger way,” he added.

Speaking after his press conference at a victory rally in Istanbul, Erdogan conceded “we have not reached our goal in the parliament,” but said his party will “solve” this as well.

10.27 P.M. 

Erdogan is expected to give a press conference soon.

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10.16 P.M. 

CHP: Erdogan has not won first round 

Figures released by Turkey’s election body, the YSK, suggest only 39 percent of votes have been counted, giving Erdogan 51 percent and Ince 33 percent, according to CHP spokesman Bulent Tezcan. Based on these numbers, the election should enter a run-off. 

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9.57 P.M. 

Cavusoglu: ‘Terrorists failed’

Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has addressed AKP supporters in Antalya.

“Turkey is the victorious of this election,” he told the cheering crowd.

He said all the world has realized that terrorists failed. “The failed are terrorists: FETO, PKK, ISIS,” said Cavusoglu.
 
With the party's new mandate, “we will clear Manbij and Qandil.”

He said the AKP “have dissolved the game” where their detractors blamed them for economic issues. 

“We will keep serving all those who voted or did not vote for us.”

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9.30 P.M. 

Ince disputes preliminary results 

CHP presidential candidate Muharrem Ince insists the unofficial preliminary results – announced by the state-owned Anadolu Agency – are not accurate. 

Just 37 percent of boxes have been opened “according to the YSK’s [electoral body] system, while Anadolu Agency has announced 85 percent,” he tweeted.

He called on supporters not to “abandon ballot boxes” and to remain vigilant for violations.

Sandık görevlisi arkadaşlarım; an itibariyle YSK’nın sisteminde sandıkların yüzde 37’si açılmış gözükmektedir. Televizyonlarda ise Anadolu Ajansı kaynaklı sandıkların yüzde 85’inin açıldığı yönünde haberler yapılmakta/sonuç açıklanmaktadır. Sandıkları terk etmeyin!

— Muharrem İNCE (@vekilince) June 24, 2018

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9.10 P.M. 

'Secure election'

Mahir Unal, spokesperson for Erdogan's AKP, said: “We have experienced the most secure election in recent history. I congratulate our country and nation.”

He called on all political party leaders to be “careful and responsible” when criticizing the accuracy of the results. 

“Will these politicians take responsibility if tomorrow any kind of attack towards the YSK or AA [Anadolu Agency] occurs,” Unal said.

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8.52 P.M.

Congratulations for Erdogan 

Devlet Bahceli, head of the MHP which ran in alliance with the AKP, has called Erdogan to congratulate him on his victory.

Erdogan has already received calls of congratulations on his reelection from the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the president of Azerbaijan lham Aliev, and Bakir Izetbegovic of the tripartite Presidency of Bosnia.

Greek foreign minister Nikos Kocias has also congratulated Erdogan's foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on the AKP’s victory. 

AK Party supporters wave flags in front of the AKP headquarters in Ankara on June 24, 2018. Photo: Adem Altan /AFP

8.49 P.M. 

HDP pass 10% threshold

Turkey's pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party (HDP) passes 10 percent threshold needed to enter into Turkey’s parliament.

Saruman Oluc, deputy head of the People's Democratic Party (HDP), said results in Kurdish areas are not being shown by the state-owned AA “because the votes coming from there are those which show that HDP has passed the threshold.”

The party urged its supporters not to leave local counts until counting is complete. 

HDP supporters have already begun celebrating passing the threshold.

Anadolu Ajansı’na göre bile barajı geçtik :) Sevinebiliriz ama sandıkları asla terk etmeyelim. pic.twitter.com/IRSTcYKYnZ

— HDP (@HDPgenelmerkezi) June 24, 2018

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8.46 P.M. 

Turkey’s incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wins in the first round of the country’s elections.

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8.39 P.M.

Turkey election results as we get them: 

A total of 59,354,840 people voted in Turkey's presidential and parliamentary elections - an 87% turnout.

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6.33 P.M. 

Erdogan heads to Huber Palace to observe results

“It is early to say anything. We are good,” he told supporters after polls closed.

Photo: AA

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6.05 P.M. 

European delegation detained in Turkey during election

Ten European observers, including French senator Christine Prunaud, were arrested in Turkey’s Kurdish south east on Sunday while trying to observe the election.

“Turkish authorities want to snuff out any criticism of the massive fraud underway,” the French Communist Party said in a statement.

Three French citizens, three Germans and four Italians were arrested and will face legal action for not having the proper accreditation, according to the state-run Turkish news agency Anadolu.

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5.49 P.M. 

Local IYI Party chief shot dead in Erzurum: reports

The Erzurum branch office of the IYI Party confirmed in a tweet on Sunday afternoon that a local party chief has been killed.

A shooting incident took place in which an IYI Party local official, Mehmet Siddik Durmaz, and two civilians were killed, according to Cumhuriyet. 

The party’s Erzurum office verified the shooting in a tweet. 

“Our local head in Karacoban town, Mr Mehmet Siddik Durmaz, was killed brutally by  ... bloodsuckers,” the party branch tweeted.

In a press conference after polls closed, Turkish PM Binali Yıldırım said two people were killed in a shooting in Erzurum, but he did not name the victims or perpetrators. 

He said the incident was a social issue between two families.

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5.19 P.M. 

Human Rights Association raises fraud allegations 

Turkey’s Human Rights Association (IHD) has released its assessment of the Turkish election. At 14:30 local time, its observers said they witnessed rigging attempts by security forces in Kurdish areas: 

- Voters were “threatened” and their mobile devices “confiscated” in Erzurum and Agri provinces. 

- “A large number of voters voted simultaneously in Suleyman Sah primary school in Suruc town where only 1,068 people are eligible to vote.”

- The association also reported that an AKP MP’s bodyguards injured a “score of people” in the Kurdish town of Suruc. 

- IHD has reported “rigging” in many other Kurdish cities.

In a press conference after polls closed, opposition candidate Muharrem Ince said: “Do not be scared ... I will be observing YSK [Turkish electoral body] closely ...  Do not believe in morale-destroying news.” 

CHP leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu also called on the party's supporters not to abandon the ballot boxes and to stay to observe the count.

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5.00 P.M. 

Polls closed at 5 P.M. in Turkey’s parliamentary and presidential elections. Stay tuned for results and analysis.

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Incumbent president Erdogan votes from Istanbul

The leader of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the incumbent Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, voted in the country's presidential and parliamentary elections on Sunday.

He was joined by his wife Emine Erdogan and other family members.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his wife Emine fill out ballots for elections in Istanbul on June 24, 2018. Photo: Rudaw TV

The 64-year-old Erdogan announced snap elections on March 18, following a meeting with Devlet Bahceli, the leader of the ultra-nationalist Nationalist Movement Party (MHP). The elections were initially scheduled for November 2019.

The elections are being conducted in an ongoing state of emergency which has been in place since the failed military coup of 2016.

After leaving the polling station, he was met by supporters who chanted: "We are behind you, don't bow down."

Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks to the media after voting in Istanbul on June 24, 2018. Photo: Rudaw TV

He delivered a brief statement to the press: “So far, more than 50 percent of the people have voted. So the participation rate is good. There have been times when only 30 percent of the people had voted even in the most developed countries.

He called Turkish democracy "advanced," saying the country is undergoing a "democratic revolution."

The incumbent, who is seeking a second term, dismissed any "big problems" with the snap election.

“I believe the high participation rate is due to the sensitivity of the election. According to our information, there have been no big problems in the election,” he detailed.

Presidential powers grew greatly after last year's constitutional referendum. Erdogan has polled as the frontrunner, but will need an absolute majority to avoid a run-off.

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Pervin Buldan, a co-chair in the Peoples' Democratic Party, speaks to reporters after voting in Istanbul on June 24, 2018. Photo: Rudaw TV

1:03 p.m.

Pro-Kurdish HDP co-chair: Even one vote is important

Pervin Buldan, a HDP co-chair, encouraged everyone to get out and vote.

“We hope this election will be democratic and people vote freely. I will ask all voters to vote. Even one vote is important in this important election," Buldan said on Sunday.

She voted in Istanbul at the polling station where jailed presidential candidate Selahattin Demirtas voted in the 2016 election.

The HDP seeks to obtain at least 10 percent of the 600 seats up for grabs in the parliamentary election. 

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12:40 p.m.

'Salt Bae' weighs in on 'important' presidential election

Nusret Gokce, the Turkish chef who became an internet sensation for suavely butchering and salting meat, said he traveled across the Atlantic to vote.

"Arrived from 9,381 km. A vote is a vote. One vote is important, so I have come this morning from far away for [the] presidential election," Gokce, better known as Salt Bae, tweeted.

9381 km den geldi.Bir oy bir oydur dedi. One vote is important so i have come this morning from far away for presidential election 🇹🇷 pic.twitter.com/xYx7WwBt0w

— Nusret #saltbae (@nusr_ett) June 24, 2018

The photo he posted shows Salt Bae in is customary pose ready to "sprinkle" his ballot into its box.

Gokce is from Erzurum. He now has restaurants in Turkey, the Middle East and in the United States. 

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12:25 p.m.

Demirtas says election outcome will be ‘very good’

HDP’s jailed presidential candidate Selahattin Demirtas, and party comrade Abdullah Zedan voted from Erdine Prison on Sunday morning.

“We voted in prison. I hope everyone goes to the ballot boxes and votes for the future and democracy of Turkey,” Demirtas wrote in a tweet via his lawyers after voting.

Demirtas, a Kurd, has been detained since November 2016. He faces terror-related charges which carry prison sentences of more than 140 years.

Biz de oyumuzu, cezaevinde kullandık. Herkesin sandığa giderek ülkenin geleceği için, tercihini demokrasiden yana kullanmasını diliyorum. Oy verme işleminin sakin ve huzurlu bir ortamda tamamlanmasını umuyorum. Sonuçların çok güzel olacağına inanıyorum. Hepimize hayırlı olsun. pic.twitter.com/ceinNMfLN8

— Selahattin Demirtaş (@hdpdemirtas) June 24, 2018

“I hope the polls proceed smoothly. I believe the election outcome will be very good, and the election will bring a blessing for all,” he added.

The passionate orator has campaigned from a jail cell with limited airtime on state TV. He led an e-rally earlier this week.

The pro-Kurdish HDP seeks to win at least 60 seats in the parliament; otherwise, they will go to a winning party. 

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CHP leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu speaks to reporters after voting in Ankara, Turkey, during presidential and parliamentary elections on June 24, 2018. Photo: Rudaw TV

12:03 p.m.

Main opposition CHP claims election fraud attempts

Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu called for government employees to remain apolitical, while claiming he has been notified of fraud attempts.

“We received some information that there are some attempts of election fraud. I ask all government employees to act not politically and for any party. They have to act non-partisan and for all Turkey," he told reporters.

He voted in Ankara, but did elaborate on the alleged acts of fraud.

His party chose to run fiery orator Muharrem Ince as their presidential candidate.

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Turkish PM Binali Yildirim speaks to reporters in Izmir after voting in presidential and parliamentary election on June 24, 2018. Photo: AA

11:54 a.m.

PM Yildirim hopeful elections are 'a blessing'

Outgoing Prime Minister Binali Yildirim expressed that the end of the parliamentary system of government will usher in a era for the country.

"We did our national duty. Hopefully this election will be a blessing. With the new system, Turkey will progress. Now Turkey is in a democratic celebration," said Yildirm.

A presidential system will go into effect after the election, eliminating the post of prime minister.

Yildirim, of the AKP, said he will go back to the capital.
 
"I will go back to Ankara and wait for the outcome," he added.

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Meral Akenser speaks to reporters in Istanbul after casting her vote. Photo: Rudaw TV

11:29 a.m.

Turkey's first female presidential candidate votes in 'different election'

Meral Aksener, the first female presidential candidate in the history of Turkey, voted in Istanbul.

“This is a different election. We want voters to vote freely,” she said.

Akenser, 61, broke away from the MHP in October to form the IYI (Good Party). 

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10:49 a.m.

FM Cavusoglu underscores election calm for sake of nation and country

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu voted in Antalya declaring that the vote will bring virtue to the country.

“A few days ago, we organized a number of campaigns in Antalya and some other places in this province and across Turkey, where we asked for peoples’ votes. Today, we are exercising our rights as citizens, and voted.”
Cavusoglu is a member of the ruling AKP.

“We hope this election will bring virtue to our country and nation, and hope that it will lead to the establishment of a new governance system in Turkish history. That is why it is an important election. We hope this election will bring calm, development and virtue to our country and nation,” he added.

9:53 a.m.

Basak Demirtas votes to end 'injustices'

“I came early in the morning and cast my ballot. We have an enthusiastic participation, and hope that today is a good day and brings virtue. We have been facing acts of injustice for years. We hope these injustices end,” Basak Demirtas told reporters.

She is married to jailed presidential candidate Selahattin Demirtas of the pro-Kurdish HDP.

“We hope our nation comes forward now and votes so that we achieve democracy, peace, and freedom early. A vote can change many things. That is why they should come out early to participate in it and vote. We should at no time forget happy days are close,” she added.

Basak Demirtas casts her vote in Diyarbakir on June 24, 2018. Photo: AA

According to Rudaw’s correspondent in Diyarbakir, 1.23 million people are eligible to vote in the province.

Demirtas, though no longer a HDP co-chair, was the party's choice for the presidential run. He has been jailed on terror-related charges and faces more than 140 years in prison, if convicted. Unlikely to win, Demirtas aims to help the party secure at least 60 seats in the Grand National Assembly. If the HDP fails to meet that threshold, their seats will go to a winning party.

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HDP co-leader Sezai Temelli speaks to Rudaw after casting his vote from van on June 24, 2018. Photo: Rudaw TV

9:31 a.m.

Voters hopeful in Van and Ankara

"We want better outcomes now. We support Demirtas," a young woman told Rudaw in Ankara.

AKP support in urban areas from Kurds has been key in previous votes.

"We are hopeful for this election. Hopefully we will have a democratic election. We have representatives on all ballots. We want 8 seats," HDP co-leader Sezai Temelli said from Van.

There was also support for the CHP in the mostly Kurdish province.

"We want security and prosperity," a man in Van told Rudaw. He said he is throwing his support behind the CHP.

9:20 a.m.

PKK pauses activities for elections 

The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) announced they will suspend all political and military activities as Turkey holds presidential and parliamentary elections on Sunday.

“The PKK leadership has decided to temporarily suspend war against Turkish forces for 24 hours,” the PKK stated.

According to the statement, the unilateral suspension of political and military activities against Turkey came into effect at 7 p.m. on Saturday.

“The purpose behind this decision is to create calm conditions and extend opportunities for Kurdish voters in north Kurdistan to take part Turkey’s elections, so that they can cast their ballots,” the statement added.

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Turkey is holding its snap elections under a state of emergency. Photo: AA

8:15 a.m.

Voters head to the polls in Turkey

ANKARA, Turkey — People across Turkey started voting in the country's elections on Sunday morning.

The election is widely seen as a two-horse race between Erdogan and his nearest rival Ince. If no candidate receives an absolute majority, a run-off will occur.