Voting Ends in Turkey; Ballot Counting Begins

Voting has ended in Turkey, and ballot counting has begun. The polling stations closed at 5 PM local time, which is 6 PM Yerevan time.

There were 191,884 ballot boxes set up across the country and abroad. Today, the country is electing its 13th head of state and forming a new parliament. It is expected that over 64 million people will participate in the voting.

President Erdoğan voted at a polling station located on the Asian side of Istanbul. He arrived there around 11:40 AM local time, accompanied by his wife. Serious security measures had been implemented at the site prior to his arrival.

The polling station where opposition candidate Kılıçdaroğlu arrived is located at an Argentinian primary school in the Çankaya district of the Turkish capital, Ankara. His arrival was met with applause from his supporters.

Kılıçdaroğlu arrived at the polling station with his wife and Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş. The second round of presidential elections, if no candidate collects 50% of the votes, is scheduled for May 28. During the pre-election period, the public support for the candidates has remained approximately the same, so the voting results could be unexpected.