Alwaght- Incumbent Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) have claimed victory in Turkey's presidential and parliamentary elections.
Turkey's Supreme Election Council Sadi Guven announced on early Monday Erdogan won absolute majority, 52.55, in presidential election as 97.7 percent of ballot boxes were opened. With 99 percent of votes counted in the presidential race, Erdogan had 52.5 percent.
Speaking hours after Sunday's presidential and parliamentary elections, Guven said Justice and Development AKP is leading in parliamentary elections, with 42.4 percent of the vote counted, while Republican People’s Party (CHP), Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) and Good (IYI) Party surpass 10 percent threshold in the parliamentary election.
People's Alliance, consisted of the Ruling AK Party and its election ally MHP, has won 53.6 percent of the vote so far.
"Our people have given us the job of carrying out the presidential and executive posts," said Erdogan in a speech from Istanbul on early on Monday.
"I hope nobody will try to cast a shadow on the results and harm democracy in order to hide their own failure," he added.
The country's main opposition party initially said that Erdogan would fall well short of a first-round victory, but after the results were announced that it would carry on its democratic struggle "whatever the result."
Turkey's main opposition presidential candidate Muharrem Ince said on Sunday Turkish citizens should protect ballot boxes against possible fraud by President Erdogan's ruling AK Party.
Erdogan called the snap elections, bringing forward a vote that was expected to be held in November 2019.
Six candidates were vying for the Turkish presidency. If a candidate wins just over 50 percent of the vote, he will win the presidency, but if not, there will be a runoff on July 8.
Erdogan won the last presidential election in 2014 after completing two terms as prime minister.
In April 2017, 51 percent of Turkish voters endorsed constitutional changes backed by Erdogan, which grant new executive powers to the president and scrap the post of prime minister.
Supporters of the reforms argue that they will modernize the country, but opponents fear a possible authoritarian rule.
The constitutional overhaul would mean that Erdogan could stay in power for another two terms until 2029.
